Anyone have any idea what causes rhubarb to be excessively sour?

Thanks!

On Thu, 15 Jan 2004 09:36:55 +0000, Harvey wrote:

How popular is rhubarb in the USA? Widely eaten & grown in the UK, but far
less on the continent, although you do see it in France some times.

Quite. Just about every old house has a patch growing around it. The
common name is "pie plant" due to the fact it makes exceptional pies. It
is more common in the northern part of the US where there is frost.

On Wed, 14 Jan 2004 18:21:12 -0500, Dvd wrote:

Anyone have any idea what causes rhubarb to be excessively sour?

Thanks!


Oxalic acid would make it sour.
The plant needs frost.
Weather and moisture have a great effect on the plants tenderness,
"sweetness", edibility, etc. Hot, dry temps and you can just about forget
it. However, when the temps are agreeable and the rain plentiful, it is
possible to harvest rhubarb long into summer months. I recall once
harvesting it in southern Wisconsin well into July and early August.

Rhubarb pie is a sure sign that spring has arrived.

On Thu, 15 Jan 2004 04:02:44 +0000, SAS567 wrote:

Anyone have any idea what causes rhubarb to be excessively sour?

Thanks!

I have a green variety and Canadian Red and every piece of rhubarb I have ever
eaten is sour. I have a lot of good, sweet recipes for rhubarb.
Sue in Mi. (zone 5) with a foot of new snow and temps in the teens.

No matter which variety you have, sugar is an unfortunate necessity when
preparing it as sauce or pie. Some varieties are more sour than others.
It seems as though the redder the stem, the less sugar required.

my absolutely favorite pie is rhubarb. there is nothing quite like it. there are
lots of people with patches of rhubarb and they got it to give away. Ingrid

C wrote:

On Thu, 15 Jan 2004 09:36:55 +0000, Harvey wrote:

How popular is rhubarb in the USA? Widely eaten & grown in the UK, but far
less on the continent, although you do see it in France some times.

Quite. Just about every old house has a patch growing around it. The
common name is "pie plant" due to the fact it makes exceptional pies. It
is more common in the northern part of the US where there is frost.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

On Sun, 18 Jan 2004 16:08:02 +0000, dr-solo wrote:

my absolutely favorite pie is rhubarb. there is nothing quite like it.
there are lots of people with patches of rhubarb and they got it to give
away. Ingrid


Your turn to bake? I'll be right there.

On Sun, 18 Jan 2004 16:08:02 GMT, wrote:

my absolutely favorite pie is rhubarb. there is nothing quite like it. there are
lots of people with patches of rhubarb and they got it to give away. Ingrid

I spent most of my life in the South and never tasted a rhubarb pie,
but I never met a pie I didn't like.

Regards,

Hal

On Sun, 18 Jan 2004 17:25:30 -0500, Hal wrote:

On Sun, 18 Jan 2004 16:08:02 GMT, wrote:

my absolutely favorite pie is rhubarb. there is nothing quite like it.
there are lots of people with patches of rhubarb and they got it to give
away. Ingrid

I spent most of my life in the South and never tasted a rhubarb pie, but I
never met a pie I didn't like.

Regards,

Hal

You can buy frozen rhubarb with which you can make rhubarb pie.

my absolutely favorite pie is rhubarb. there is nothing quite like it.

I like strawberry-rhubarb cobbler. I don't add as much sugar to the recipe when
I add the strawberries.
Sue in Mi. ( 17" of snow and 9 degrees.)

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 01:10:55 +0000, SAS567 wrote:


my absolutely favorite pie is rhubarb. there is nothing quite like it.

I like strawberry-rhubarb cobbler. I don't add as much sugar to the recipe
when I add the strawberries.
Sue in Mi. ( 17" of snow and 9 degrees.)

Southern WI he Cold, no snow. Send snow. We'll send rhubarb. Better
yet, send snow and cobbler. We'll send "thank you".

gotta wait til spring.

Aunt Nada's rhubarb custard pie
For a 9 or 10 inch pie pan.
Preheat oven to 450oF. Make sure pie crust is room temp before starting or the
bottom crust can end up soggy. Line the pie tin with one crust and sprinkle with 2
tablespoons bread crumbs.
Cut the other round into strips about an inch wide. This will be woven to form the
top lattice.
I generally add all the ingredients in a ziploc, mix and then add the rhubarb and mix
it in there. Less cleanup.
With a fork, lightly beat 3 whole eggs. Reserve a tablespoon for brushing the top.
1 + 3/4 cups sugar more or less
½ teaspoon salt
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch, mix well
Add 4 ½ cups of unpeeled rhubarb, cut to ½ inch long
put stuff into crust
dot with 2 tablespoons butter
put in top lattice
Brush lattice with egg wash to make sure it browns
Bake at 450 for 20 minutes, then reduce to 350 for another 30 minutes.

Ingrid

C wrote:

On Sun, 18 Jan 2004 16:08:02 +0000, dr-solo wrote:

my absolutely favorite pie is rhubarb. there is nothing quite like it.
there are lots of people with patches of rhubarb and they got it to give
away. Ingrid


Your turn to bake? I'll be right there.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

well where are you then?... up near superior or in the south? Ingrid

C wrote:
Southern WI he Cold, no snow. Send snow. We'll send rhubarb. Better
yet, send snow and cobbler. We'll send "thank you".



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 04:29:10 +0000, dr-solo wrote:

well where are you then?... up near superior or in the south? Ingrid

C wrote:
Southern WI he Cold, no snow. Send snow. We'll send rhubarb. Better
yet, send snow and cobbler. We'll send "thank you".

The balmy "south" near Madison. 1F at 5:40 this brisk winter's morn.
Windchill -14F. Cold feet but our heart's warm.

I am a pretty lame gardener. Bought 2 rhubarb plants at the end of the
season last year and couldn't figure out where to plant them so they had
the best conditions for growth (PacNorWest). They were doing well in
the nursery pots then they suddenly died - so I thought. Those
neglected pots sat empty until a couple of weeks ago when I walked by
and noticed both pots had two nice green leaves each. I am still trying
to figure out where to put them but I won't waste too much time. Sure
nice to see those leaves.

In article ,
occupant wrote:

I am a pretty lame gardener. Bought 2 rhubarb plants at the end of the
season last year and couldn't figure out where to plant them so they had
the best conditions for growth (PacNorWest). They were doing well in
the nursery pots then they suddenly died - so I thought. Those
neglected pots sat empty until a couple of weeks ago when I walked by
and noticed both pots had two nice green leaves each. I am still trying
to figure out where to put them but I won't waste too much time. Sure
nice to see those leaves.

Plant them in full sun, if you can. Give each crown a 3 or 4 foot circle
to fill, and it will fill it.

Go find a couple of buckets full of horse or cow manure, quick. Dig a
couple of holes. Dump most of the manure in the holes, plant the rhubarb.
Top dress the crowns with the leftover manure. Water them in good.

If you can't find cow poop, use compost. Rhubarb is a heavy feeder.

Plant them in full sun, in a place where they can get 3' wide without
ticking anyone off. We use them for foundation plantings up here in
Alaska. They look cool and you can eat the stems (I have recipes.)

In the fall, get ahold of buckets of rotted horse or cow manure and just
dump them on top of your rhubarb plants, after the leaves have rotted
down from the killing frost. Rhubarb *loves* manure. Pile it on,
and you'll have happy plants.

Rhubarb is hardy in USDA Zone 1. I live in USDA Zone 4 and we can't
get rid of it with a napalm strike. It's hardy as hell.

Rhubarb and strawberries are a natural combo in pies.

Jan, Alaska