there once was a tigress who inherited a rhubarb patch. she was very, very happy that her little house in the country came with it’s very own rhubarb patch. during that first winter, she imagined the many ways she would eat her rhubarb when the springtime came.
she would eat it in pies with strawberries, and upside down in cakes like the french do with apples. she would make jams and chutneys, and eat it stewed for breakfast drizzled with fresh cream. soon spring came, and with glee she made all of these things.
tigresses are industrious by nature, and that first spring-summer she was determined to let no stalk go to waste. for many days she went to her rhubarb patch in the late dawn or early eve and harvested. and harvested. and harvested.
by june her freezer was full of rhubarb, cut to one inch, blanched and stacked in zip-lock bags. rhubarb jams and chutneys lined her larder shelves, and she tried her paw at rhubarb relish, pickled rhubarb and rhubarb ketchup even (the ketchup a winner, pickled rhubarb and rhubarb relish, not so much).
she brought bags of rhubarb to the city and gave them to friends and friends of friends, with copies of rhubarb recipes tucked inside. she gave them to the english – they love rhubarb! even with all of those things, she never did harvest the entire rhubarb patch that first year, or any year after. goddess knows she tried.
6 years later and 6 years wiser, tigress has given up the notion (noble as it was) of harvesting the entire patch. but still, there’s late dawns, early eves, and sunday afternoons this may just like the last mays. there’s baking, canning and freezing, and bags brought down to the city.
tigress has come to believe that her rhubarb patch is a magical rhubarb patch. that no matter how much she pulls and chops and bakes and cans, there will always be more rhubarb. and why not i say?
the garden is full of magic. why not a never-ending rhubarb patch?
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Really fun pics! Your surrounds look so peaceful and the amount of rhubarb sounds truly magical! Wowsa!
thanks meg – glad you enjoyed! and yes it is very peaceful in my humble abode, and i just saw rhubarb for $6.99 a pound at the market…i’m basically sitting on a goldmine!
I’ll say! You could have your own farmer’s market…a springtime venture =)
tru!
I have been grumbling about paying $3.99/lb here! Oh well it is only once a year and a short season at that.
Rhubarb is to Tigress as Rangpur is to Shae. The unexpected produce goldmine. I do love this post; it’s so very lush. And I am going to try rhubarb again here next year. I’ve already started planning and preparing the patch. You inspire!
Why not have a pick your own rhubarb patch? You could have one or two weekends when you have the patch open for pickers. We have folks here that do that with a patch of lavender and they sell lavender items like soaps and make lavender lemonade to sell and give out recipes, and it is such an enjoyable weekend. So many people come back year after year to enjoy the views and pick lavender.
that’s a lovely idea darcy. i do let everyone i know that they are welcome to come and pick what they want. although – i like the idea of having a rhubarb picking ‘event!’ rhubaritas all around!
I just scored a free (large) rhubarb plant from a neighbor and am excited to start my own rhubarb patch. I can only hope for it to be as plentiful as yours!
Have you made rhubarb wine yet? It’s a winner.
i have not. please do tell!