wrote in message
Farm1 wrote:
I'd never heard of "champagne" rhubarb before so did a google for
this wonderous new variety that obviously isn't available in my
country.

I found this site:

http://www.practicallyedible.com/edi...a!openframeset
&frame=Right&Src=/edible.nsf/pages/ed.1407!opendocument
which suggests that it's merely blanched rhubarb.

Is this right?

Umm. I thought that blanching rhubarb was the norm.

Not where I live (Australia). I've not ever known anyone who blanches
rhubarb. I've read about it and seen pics in British mags of it and
thought I must give it a go at some time but since I so adore good red
rhubarb, I've not ever bothered to try it.

All those buckets
without bottoms, tall chimmney pot things, long unlit sheds in the
Rhubarb triangle - aren't they all about blanching?

I know that the less than organised among us have a crown or two and
don't bother with blanching - my sister and I for a start - but It
had
never occured to me that commercially sold rhubarb /wasn't/
blanched.

The only rhubarb for sale I've ever seen is the good red stems, but
usually floppy and not worth
buying :-))

In which case, why call it "champagne"[1]? Why qualify the name at
all?

All marketing people deserve to be coated in boiling hot greengage
jam
and hung over a beehive.

Now that's a nice idea :-)))