Rhubarb, it seems that you either have lots of it or none at all.  Many friends down south have never even heard of this plant as it needs a long freezing winter to complete its life cycle.

Technically a vegetable, rhubarb stalk is often cooked as a fruit in pies and other deserts.  Author, Laura Ingals Wilder called it the "pie plant" in her "Little House on the Prairie" series of novels.  Originally from Asia, the root has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years and as a natural brown dye in places without Walnut trees.  Due to the long journey along the Silk Road, there was even a time when its value to Europeans was comparable to that of cinnamon, silks, and pearls. Marco Polo once went on a quest to find the source of rhubarb and now we have several varieties grown around the world.

Rhubarb with small crowns ready to be separated.

Planting
Rhubarb roots don't like to be disturbed, so spending time in the beginning to ensure things are just right will ensure a happier and more productive plant.

In Alberta, pick a spot with full sun. In warmer climates with milder winters, pick a partial sun spot.  Add some compost to the soil to give the plant a good start and then bury your crowns (the root and bulb part) an inch or two below the ground.

Space your plants at least 3 feet apart as rhubarb has very large leaves and likes to spread out!

Give your new plants a good drink of water, and if the first summer gets dry, water them periodically until the roots have established. After the first year, your plants will be fairly drought resistant, though of course they won't grow as many stalks on a dry year.

As always, add mulch around the plants to hold in moisture and future nutrients, but leave a bare circle directly over the crown to prevent the stalks from holding in too much moisture and rotting.

Rhubarb can also be grown in large containers at least 12 inches wide. Make sure there is a bottom drainage hole and fill the container with soft soil that won't compact easily. Water initially until it flows out of the drainage holes. After that, only water when the soil feels dry to the touch. A yearly top dressing of compost, or compost tea will be needed to keep your plant fed.  In the winter, put your plants in a protected area outdoors unless the temperature drops into extreme colds. The plant needs to have freezing temperatures to go fully dormant and grow again next year.

Seasonal Care
You can remove the flower stalks before they bloom to increase your yield or let them bloom if you aren't interested in more rhubarb. However, for the first few years, it is best to remove the flowers so your plant can focus on building strong roots and stalks.

In late fall, clear the dead stalks and leaves from the crown to reduce the chance of rot or mildew.

Every 5 years, divide your rhubarb so that the crowns don't become too crowded. Baby rhubarb makes a great housewarming present!

Harvest
Rhubarb is one of the first garden foods to be ready. Do a big harvest in spring, and depending on the size and health of your plant, again in fall. Alternatively, you can harvest a few stalks at a time all spring through fall.

It's very important not to harvest your rhubarb the first year you plant it. In the second year, harvest only half of what you normally would, and after that, you can harvest as usual.

Stalks are pulled, not cut. Choose the widest stalks to pick. Reach as far down the base of the stalk as you can, give a tug and a twist and the stalk should come right off.

When you have gathered what you will use, or no more than 2/3 of the plant, cut the leaves off of your picked stalks.  If you are storing in the fridge, leave an inch of leaf on the stem to retain moisture, otherwise dispose of all of the leaves. The leaves are toxic, and while you need to eat a lot to cause harm, it's best to bury them in the compost out of reach of pets or children.

Storage
You can store rhubarb stalks easily in the fridge for a week. After that they may become soft but are still good for cooking.

Freezing it is incredibly simple and my preferred method. Cut the stem into 1 inch chunks, put them in ziploc bags, remove as much air as you can, and put them in your freezer. No blanching necessary! Frozen rhubarb will be soft when it is defrosted, but you won't notice much difference after baking.  In fact, I prefer soft rhubarb for my crumble and will actually freeze it the night before to get that extra juicy feel.

Eating Ideas
The stalks are bitter on their own, but raw and dipped in sugar make a great snack. Alternatively you can make a compote to put over ice cream or trifle, bake into cakes, muffins, or pureed into fruit roll-ups.  And of course there is classic rhubarb strawberry pie.

Rhubarb also makes a good alternative to lemonade as a refreshing drink in the summer, especially with a few raspberries added in. ~_^

It's not just for deserts though. Rhubarb can also make BBQ sauces, marinades, salad dressings, ketchup, and even vinegar!

That being said, in my house, Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble rules the roost.

How do you eat your rhubarb?

I find raspberries to be one of the most satisfying things in my garden.

The berries are colourful, taste amazing right off the cane, and can be used in many dishes. Since they prefer cooler climates, they grow very well in Alberta and require only a bit of care to keep producing delicious fruit year after year.

Last year's harvest

Planting
To start, select a spot in your yard that has full sun and good drainage.  If you are putting them in an area where the soil hasn't been worked before, mix in compost or well aged manure to help your plants thrive.  This bit of work now will save you a lot of work later.

Soak the roots of your raspberries for an hour or so before planting so you don't need to water as much later. When finished, dig a hole slightly bigger than the root ball and then fill it with good soil. Space your plants 3 feet apart if planting in a row, or put one foot apart if planting in a circle bush style. Finish by adding a layer of wood or leaf mulch around the canes to hold in moisture, choke out weeds, and keep out competitive grass. You can get free wood mulch at the Ambleside or Kenendale Ecostations in Edmonton. In fall, rake your leaves over the canes to add extra mulch.

Give your newly planted canes a good watering! Once established, they won't need to be watered unless we are having a severe drought. However, this first year they've had a big move, so give them the extra moisture to get them going.

Pruning
If you are in a windy area, trimming your canes at about 5 feet can reduce the amount of swaying they do and will ensure you can reach all of the fruit your plants produce.

As our raspberries are summer-bearing, the existing canes will produce fruit this year and then die off next year. The new canes that grow this year will produce fruit next year, and so on. In early spring, cut the dead (non-leafing) canes to the ground and throw them in your compost bin. Again, do not cut down canes that have leaves and no fruit--the fruit will come in the following year.

Harvest
The 2 year old canes will produce fruit around July and August. Pick the berries when they are ripe, and about every 2-3 days. The darker the colour, the riper it is, but be careful, as when they are too ripe and they will fall to the ground where they will either be eaten by insects or become entirely new plants.

As a rule of thumb, berries that are easy to pull are ripe enough.

Make sure to look around your plants from many angles as these tasty berries love to hide under leaves and can often be overlooked. I use a glove to manuever the canes as the small needle-like thorns can irritate the skin. This gives me an advantage during raspberry picking races with the family as I can move the canes with one hand, spot hidden gems, and pick with my ungloved-free hand.

3/4 of an ice cream pail won me the Quiker Picker title. 

Storing
Raspberries can be eaten right off the vine, but if you want to have some for later or have far to many to eat in a day, they can be kept in the fridge for a week. After that, they become very juicy and need to be cooked with. You can also freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet and then put them into airtight freezer bags.

Eating Ideas
These berries don't need much sugar and go a long way. They can be added fresh to yogurt parfaits, trifles, and onto ice cream. Raspberries and Cream is another classic at my house. They are great additions to fruit popsicles or can be frozen and added to drinks in place of ice cubes.

Baked they can be added to pancakes, muffins, loaves (lemon loaf with raspberries is incredible if you get the chance), or as a sauce over chocolate cake and waffles.

How do you eat your raspberries?

Written by Andreanna