BEHR Gemüsegarten: Products

Rhubarb

Like buckwheat and sorrel, rhubarb belongs to the knotweed (Polygonaceae) family. Rhubarb originally comes from Asia. Rhubarb was already used as a very important medicinal plant in China 4,000 years ago. It was cultivated in Russia in the 16th century and then reached parts of Europe in the 17th century. The first commercial crop in Germany was grown in Hamburg-Kirchwerder in 1848.

Rhubarb is a permanent crop, which means that the hardy perennial is planted once and can then remain in the same location for around ten years. The perennial rhizome plant is frost hardy and overwinters with thick, fleshy roots, which serve as storage organs for the underground buds that sprout in spring. The rhubarb plant forms long red-green stems that have a large leaf base at the end. Only the stems are harvested. The leaves are not edible due to their high oxalic acid content. Rhubarb should be cooked before consumption. Although rhubarb is mainly prepared like a fruit, it is in fact a vegetable.

Rhubarb has an unmistakable and delicious sweet & sour taste. Depending on the intensity of the colour of the stems, the flavour also changes. Red stems in particular give a hint of a rather sweet taste, whereas the mainly green stems taste more acidic.

Cultivation and harvesting

Rhubarb grows in fields in Stelle (Lower Saxony) near the Elbe and in fields in Bornheim (North Rhine-Westphalia) near the Rhine. Our rhubarb grows mainly outdoors. Until mid-April, our rhubarb plants are protected from the excessive cold with film, allowing them to be harvested a few weeks earlier thanks to the heat generated under the film.

Rhubarb grows very well in deep and moist soils that are rich in humus and nutrients. It is important to ensure an adequate water supply without waterlogging. That’s why our cultivation areas, which are either close to the Elbe or the Rhine, offer the ideal growing conditions for the delicious rhubarb.

Harvesting rhubarb is very time-consuming and challenging, as all the work is carried out manually. The individual stems are twisted slightly by hand and then pulled out. This avoids the large cut surfaces that would be created with a knife. These large cut surfaces can allow bacteria or fungi to get in, causing damage to the mother plant.

Preparation and freshness tips

As the skin contains a lot of oxalic acid, it is essential to peel the rhubarb after washing before further preparation. When peeling the rhubarb, you should first cut off the leaves and freshen the cut ends with a knife. To peel, place the knife at the end of a stem just underneath the skin, hold the skin between your fingers and the knife and pull it off in one go. Repeat all around the stem.

The classic rhubarb recipe is, of course, compote. Rhubarb cakes and tarts are also very popular. The delicious stems can also be used to make jam or a fruity juice. Less well known, but no less delicious, is the use of rhubarb in savoury dishes such as stews.

You can tell if rhubarb is fresh by the fact that the stems are firm and plump and have no dark or wilted spots.

Rhubarb can be stored in the fridge for a few days. Any remaining leaves should be removed and the stems should be wrapped in a damp cloth, similar to asparagus. If you want to keep the rhubarb longer, you can cut it into bite-sized pieces after peeling and freeze it.