How to harvest Wild Rhubarb. Picking rhubarb is fairly simple: just gently grab each stalk at the base and twist it slightly while gently pulling it. To take a start from an established plant, use a sharp garden spade to slice down through the crown of the plant. If you prefer to cut yours with a knife, be extremely careful not to nick the adjoining stalks. So since I am making rhubarb salsa from my neighbors plant, I am glad I read your article, and won't be hacking away with a knife! Cooking in water and changing the water multiple times is usually necessary to remove the tannin. To destroy its eggs, remove and destroy any nearby wild dock in July. Rhubarb is a perennial vegetable famous for its tart-flavored pinkish-green stalks, though it’s used as a sweetened fruit in pies, tarts, and jams. The beautiful veggie, whose color can range from pale pink to deep maroon, is full of flavor and sweetness, similar to a fruit. This article has been viewed 759,870 times. If you’re using a freezer bag, remove any excess air before sealing it shut. It only keeps for 24 hours so make only what you need. This article gave me the knowledge to continue growing and harvesting with the best results, barring any unforeseen happenings. Harvesting. But many people are stumped when it comes to working out what to do with their rhubarb harvest from a polytunnel or elsewhere in the garden. 1. … If the plant looks very healthy, you can harvest 1 to 2 stalks during its first year. I think I will move it. Expect to get about 2 to 3 pounds (0.91 to 1.36 kg) of stalks from a mature plant each season. ", wondered how I should harvest it. ", year to harvest enough for a pie or two. Step 2--Chop the Stalks. The ultimate rhubarb guide to growing, harvesting, preserving and cooking with rhubarb. "I'm a first-time grower of this plant, but I love it! Remove any flowering stalks, too. Harvest and Storage Learn everything you want about Harvest and Storage with the wikiHow Harvest and Storage Category. From crowns and seeds. ", I needed all the info you have supplied me. Peel the rind from the root before cooking and eating. It is especially prone to root rot and powdery mildew, notes North Dakota State University. Requires a wet, marshy site to grow. Now I can start cooking! Boil for ten minutes in 4 cups of water. Make a rhubarb spray from the leaves to keep the pests off plants in your garden like broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. Be careful not to damage the crown. "It answered my questions from start to finish. Now I will, "A friend told me because my plant is first year not to pull any stalks from it, so I checked it out and your, "It is good to know that no more than one third of the stalks should be harvested each year. If rhubarb that is several years old is transplanted to a new area, does that become its first year of growth? She is an outdoor lover who spends her weekends tending her raised garden and small orchard of fruit trees. Strain, adding 4 drops of dish soap (for "stick ability"), then transfer to an empty spray bottle. Do the older stems get tough or fibrous if they are left too long on the plant before harvesting? That’s a sign the plant is underfed and weak. Are the Leaves of Turnips or Parsnips Poison? Pull Stalks: The best way to harvest rhubarb is to grab the stalk and pull or twist it simultaneously down and sideways, until it snaps off. After reading this, I realize I did a lot wrong, like harvesting, "I didn't know that I should remove the flower stalk from my 2yr old rhubarb and am sad that I should wait another, "This article was of great help, particularly on how to harvest the rhubarb and that the leaves can be used for, "This article helped immensely. Special features of Wild Rhubarb Wet sites. 5 stars! References "This really helped me, as I have never had a rhubarb plant before now. But in the second year, your rhubarb will be ready to harvest. Next year, you can harvest for a week or two, and by year three you can have a normal 8-10 week harvest season. You can use wild rhubarb the same way you use domestic rhubarb. I now have nice plants. To harvest rhubarb, wait at least 1 year after planting your rhubarb before harvesting it so it continues growing after you remove the stalks. Break off a rhizome with eyes and soon a new leave will emerge. U.S. National Plant Germplasm System: Taxon: Rumex hymenosepalus Torr. Trim off leaves that are wilted or eaten by insects so they don't affect the rest of the plant. Can I stop my rhubarb from producing more fruit? Harvest in the fall only when the plants are to be discarded the next season. ", planted the rhubarb at least 80 years ago and has been bringing in much loved and appreciated yields every year. Rhubarb is largely water and may usually be … We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. Yes. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Strain and dilute the rhubarb leaf mixture with two quarts of cold water. Some stalks are naturally larger than others. Common burdock is native to Europe and now grows throughout most of the United States. Learn more... One of the few perennial vegetables, rhubarb grows back year after year if cared for properly. Choose a country to see content specific to your location. To harvest, pull the leafstalks from the plant and trim off the leaf blades. Just what I was hunting for on my computer. I'm new to gardening and this was, "I have always cut my rhubarb. Rhubarb. In Northern U.S. and Canada rhubarb can be harvested about every 4 to 5 weeks, or about 3 times a season. Lots of tips and recipe ideas for both sweet and savory dishes. It is often seen as an invasive weed that grows in USDA hardiness zones 4 to 8. This a blog post on growing and harvesting rhubarb. The original owners, "I recently was taught incorrectly on harvesting by cutting the rhubarb with a knife. But it will be worth the wait! I realized I needed to wait to harvest the stalks but beyond that, "This spring I found a rhubarb growing vigorously in my garden, and I have heard that rhubarb is poisonous and, "I am a newbie. The length of the stalk is determined by the time of year and by the soil conditions. This article received 52 testimonials and 100% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. ", pull. Chop or scissor the leaves into one inch bits. The leaves of the young plant may also be edible, according to Plants for a Future. "Rhubarb has always been a favorite of mine to grow and put to use in ever so many dishes. How to Harvest & Prepare Rhubarb for Cooking, Baking, & Freezing Step 1--Wash the Rhubarb Stalks, Snap Off the Ends. Yes, it is possible to grow rhubarb from seed. My neighbor told me she pulls hers, so thought I'd look it up, thanks for the, "I didn't know if I should remove the seed stalks. "I've never grown rhubarb but I ate it in a strawberry rhubarb pie many years ago. Hope I get at least 2 cups so I can make a rhubarb pie. Select three or four large rhubarb leaves that weren't sprayed with chemicals. It is most commonly found in wetlands and along riverbanks. Not only does the plant spread diseases like powdery mildew to healthy crops, but the burs and seeds of the plant can get entangled in sheep wool, decreasing its quality and value. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published, This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Now I know to remove them as they come. Rainfall or irrigation after application of Callisto 480SC may increase the risk o finjury to emerging rhubarb. Trimming topping, splitting and, "I should have read this article sooner. I wanted to begin growing it a few years ago because I heard of rhubarb pie. Harvest whenever more stalks are ripe, always leaving at least 1/3 of the plant. Division. Do not feed the leaves to animals either! WHEN TO HARVEST RHUBARB. United Kingdom. Some of my rhubarb stalks appear hollow and squishy, can they be consumed? The bristles can also cause irritation and sores on livestock that graze on the plant, advises North Dakota State University. There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. As funny as it may sound, it’s a fun plant to grow. Place stalks in a sink and rinse each carefully. % of people told us that this article helped them. Do this in early spring, before the leaves start to unfurl. Gather leaves in the spring, advises Taste of the Wild. Last Updated: November 17, 2020 Does the length or width of the stalk matter when judging if my rhubarb is ready for cutting? Victor suggests picking wild rhubarb before it flowers, when the stalks are young (late May to early June around Dawson), not hollow, and when they are juicy when cut and squeezed. To the untrained eye, Common burdock is easily confused with garden varieties of rhubarb.. Divide the clumps as they grow thick. I found the information I was, "Want to have my own rhubarb, but I didn't have a clue about how to grow and harvest it. Found a lot of flowers on them, and now I know to cut them, "I was looking for whether cutting or pulling is the correct way to harvest rhubarb. I'll be pulling mine from now on. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. I thought you cut the rhubarb, but now know to twist it off. Occasionally it’s attacked by European corn borers and cabbage worms. Do not harvest during the first year after planting as this will reduce vigour. the Phoenix area presented a real problem. If you have established plants, three or more years old, rhubarb is ready to harvest from spring onwards, as soon as the stalks are long enough – between 30-60cm, depending on the variety. Harvesting and storage. Use caution when harvesting common burdock as the burs and bristles may scratch the skin and some people develop an allergic reaction to the plant. Pronounced roo-barb, is a funny-sounding name for a vegetable isn’t it? Of course, rhubarb can simply be stewed and served in the traditional way with ice cream or custard. If it's crisp and firm, it's ready to pick. Garden rhubarb grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 to 8. Label your container or bag with the date and the contents using a permanent marker. It's up to you. Maureen Malone has been a professional writer since 2010 She is located in Tucson, Arizona where she enjoys hiking, horseback riding and martial arts. You can eat the leaves raw in a salad or cooked as you would spinach. Common burdock (Arctium minus) is also known as wild rhubarb. See more ideas about Rhubarb, Rhubarb recipes, Rhubarb desserts. Leaves taste bitter because they contain a high amount of tannin, which is used to tan leather. Though you might want to wait a week or so until they turn a little more red. The first years I harvested way too much. Rhubarb plants are dormant during the fall and winter. A more likely pest is rhubarb curculio, a ¾-inch-long, rust-colored beetle that you can easily control by hand picking. It is important not to pull any stalks … It is a close relative to garden rhubarb, and the stems can be harvested and prepared in a similar manner, advises the University of California, Irvine. How do I know if it's too late in the season to harvest my rhubarb? ", when it's ready for harvesting. The stalk will snap out of the base of the plant. No, you shouldn't pull a rhubarb when it is wet because it will cause the rhubarb to rust. This measurement should only include the stalk itself, not the leaves. Although the leaves and roots of the common burdock are edible, it may have a diuretic effect that causes it to be listed as a poisonous plant. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/4b\/Harvest-Rhubarb-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Harvest-Rhubarb-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/4b\/Harvest-Rhubarb-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid385033-v4-728px-Harvest-Rhubarb-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"