well, we are 'told' that the crowns shouls be divided and even replaced every few years....and, when the rhubarb is forced, that crown cannot be forced again, it is usually discarded. My crown is over 30 years old and is more then 4feet wide so I put a cover over a portion of the crown and pick the first pale pink shoots (we don't eat the leaves as they contain oxalic acid, a poison - but the victorians used to make insecticides from the stewed leaves). After picking, we leave the cover off and the plant keeps growing but the leaves get huge and the stems get much thicker and coarser. The following year, I will put a cover on a different section of the crown. I do remove the flowers (although they wouldn't really seem to seed and spread) but by May, the first strawbs are coming in, then the early gooseberries (we have the red Hinnomaeki too, Mariannese, along with a couple of very old cooking varieties), then the redcurrants, blackcurrants, first raspberries. Cherries in July (then again in September), nectarines and peaches, finally, blackberries, plums and apples and nuts (I don't have pears -yet and blueberries are still young). Last year, my grand-daughter was picking fruit straight into her mouth and my elderly collie will also help herself to raspberries off the canes. I am waiting for the first blossom of the year (almond, then peaches) as this, along with tulips, supplies a floral extravaganza until the roses and sweet peas come on song. By July, I barely see the plot since I spend months on my kneeler, picking berries, hardly raising my head over the canopy (and sweltering in the kitchen doing evening jamming). Every year, I swear it will be my last.....and then every spring, all those bad thoughts vapourise with the first pink blossoms. By mid May, the entire plot is a mass of blossom and rampant cow parsley, a sort of sherbert-y frothing sea of petals - will have my camera on hand to record it for the first time ever.

Hi All! Not sure if anyone is still out there connected to this thread, but thought I would try. =) My family loves the good old Strawberry Rhubarb freezer jam that uses jello, I love it, too. My problem is, I try to make enough of it to last us all year (they love it that much!), but I dont' want to use that much freezer space. I have tried a couple of recipes this year, water bath recipes, that have not set up. One I was afraid may not have had the right ingredients to be a jar jam, since it didn't set up, so after a few hours, I threw it in the fridge to use as syrup. Low and behold it set. =) So, I found another and tried it. It didn't set either. (What is the longest it should take to set up?) 12 c rhubarb 3 Tbs pectin (powdered) 3 c sugar lime juice cubes (2 or 3?) dash red food color Put sugar on diced rhubarb and let it sit overnight to suck water out. Cooked and reduced it for about 15 miutes with lime juice, and added pectin near end. My recipe is homemade so your mileage may vary. Rhubarb is high acid, though, so it should be safe enough. >>> I like the look of the above recipe very much (it is from further up in this thread), it has very little sugar, doesn't require much in the way of other fruit (I'm trying to be as frugal as possible) and is said to set up. My question is this. Can I use one of my recipes that has not set up, just add commercial pectin to it? (I do like the flavor, just want it to set.) If so, how do I figure out how much pectin to add? I'm new to the jam canning process, and don't have much for local resouces, so I appreciate all the help I can get. Thanks! Gabi

Melissa, I'm late to the party, but I'm glad you used the cheesecloth. My Squeezo/Villaware food mill does not get all the seeds out of raspberries, they are too tiny. It gets a lot, sometimes even most, but not all. Cheesecloth works better. As for rhubarb, I love it but it is definitely past season here in Michigan. I have mine stashed in the freezer, already sliced and ready for rhubarb pie at Christmas. And, here is my recipe for rhubarb/raspberry jam. Raspberry Rhubarb Jam 3 cups whole, fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries 1 cup chopped rhubarb 2 Tbsp lemon juice 1 (1-3/4-ounce) pkg. powdered pectin, plus 2 Tbsp from another package, same size 8 cups sugar Rhubarb contains a lot of water. Before adding anything, simmer the raspberries and rhubarb for about 8 minutes, to allow the rhubarb to give up some of the liquid. Let the mixture cool. While the fruit is cooling, wash 9 half-pint jars. Keep hot until needed. Prepare lids as manufacturer directs. Stir the lemon juice and pectin into the cooled fruit. Bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Add the sugar, stirring constantly. Return to a full rolling boil, and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Ladle the jam into one hot jar at a time, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe jar rim with a clean, damp cloth. Attach lid. Fill and close remaining jars. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes (15 minutes at 1,000 to 6,000 feet). Makes 8 to 9 half-pints. Annie

I'm a straight rhubarb person... happy to chew on a stalk without sugar. Perhaps my very favorite pie. I like to make rhubarb wine. Just boil it in water to extract the juices and add a pound of corn sugar per gallon. Probably could benefit from being racked but I just let the fiber settle to the bottom and pour the wine off the top... which is my lazy way of doing all my wines anymore. Wine is easy to make. Can be made in any gallon glass jug if you buy the right sized stopper and bubble lock from a wine making supply. Probably under $5 for a bubbler lock and stopper. Drinkable after about 2-3 months and nice and clear at about 6 months. Wine yeast is just as harmless as bread yeast... don't be afraid of drinking a little bit as it contains vitamins. Pour off half a glass and mix with soda pop or fruit juice for a homemade "wine cooler". : ) lyra