Rare Red Stalk Tops Rhubarb (but is Rhubarb!)

Forced rhubarb is a winter specialty that's quite different from rhubarb grown outdoors: It's milder, more tender, and brightly coloured. Brian French from Lennox Farm explains how to force rhubarb.
Forced rhubarb is a winter specialty that's quite different from rhubarb grown outdoors: It's milder, more tender, and brightly coloured. 

Brian French and his wife Jeannette run Lennox Farm in Dufferin County, in Ontario. Along with field-grown rhubarb, they force rhubarb indoors during the winter. 

Brian French explains how to force rhubarb:
  • The difference between forced and field-grown rhubarb
  • Conditions needed to force rhubarb over the winter
  • Varieties of rhubarb for forcing
  • Growing rhubarb roots for forcing
  • Digging rhubarb roots for forcing
  • Tips for growing rhubarb at home
(Spoiler alert: Brian tells us whether it's really necessary to harvest by candlelight, as it's traditionally done!)

To see photos of the rhubarb-forcing operation at Lennox Farm, see the blog post for this episode at Foodgardenlife.com.


Rare Red Stalk Tops Rhubarb (but is Rhubarb!)
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