rhubarb
Rhubarb
So if music be the food of love, rhubarb is most definitely the arrow shot from Cupid’s bow. The lightning-bolt flashes of fuchsia point directly towards the nearing of Springtime and thus, an array of flavour and colour. In season for a shorter-than-seems-to-be-fair time, January and February play host to this versatile, delightful fruit for which we are honoured to still have as a true example of British, artisan food. Officially known as Champagne Rhubarb (without the bubbles and woozy effects obviously), it grows in the ‘Rhubarb Triangle,’ found south of Leeds in West Yorkshire. This is due to a complimentary number of factors including the constitution of the soil, the microclimate found there, and the cheap coal originally used for heating in the nineteenth century. The technique used way back then is still used now (apart from hot air replacing coal), narrating a story of old in each and every stem. Heritage at its best.
WARNING : TECHY PART ALERT (PLEASE SKIP TO THIRD PARAGRAPH IF UNINTERESTED/SHORT OF TIME/LATE FOR A DATE)
Briefly, the rhubarb crowns (unjewelled), or roots are grown outdoors from August for two years. After this time, in autumn, they await a blast of cold at which point (mid-winter timeish) they are then uprooted, literally, and packed on floors of old coal sheds, in sheer darkness but in a warm and toasty 25°C plus. The former condition resulting in pale, tender shoots, and the latter condition making them grow. The harvesting is tinged with romance, taking place by candle-light. All in all, bit of a long process calling for great skills and knowledge, no doubt passed down from generation to generation.
Versatile, exuberant and oh-so-swoony-delicious, Wallace & Co. are paying great homage with the following offerings…rhubarb crumble, rhubarb jam, rhubarb smoothie and rhubarb bakewell tart. It’s not just a pretty face…. PLUS, it’s available to buy there for you to experiment for yourself – at the bargain price of £4 per kilo (Ocado – £7.95).
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