Could I also ask that due to the acidity of th rhubarb, is it safe to use a 4-4.2% acid vinegar in the chutney? there is not water added to it.

Thanks heaps!! :)

The Apple-Chili jelly is the only one I'd have any concerns about because of the peppers. I'd add the juice of 1 lemon to it.

The chutney has plenty of vinegar even if you used the the 4%. While less than 5% never recommended, the 4% is probably ok - your choice. It isn't just the acid in the rhubarb that covers you it is the acid of the sultanas (grapes) and all the sugar's water-binding effect too.

Dave

PS: while waiting for your Ball book you can always use NCHFP

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP

Thanks heaps. THat the one I was not sure on too. I did add 1 juiced lemon (for the setting too) so that was good (but i'll keep that in the fridge anyway I think).

5% acidity vinegar seems to be REALLY hard to get here in Australia. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to get it or the brands?

thanks heaps for replying!

Thanks heaps. THat the one I was not sure on too. I did add 1 juiced lemon (for the setting too) so that was good (but i'll keep that in the fridge anyway I think).

5% acidity vinegar seems to be REALLY hard to get here in Australia (i can find some wine vinegar that is 6% but it is pretty pricey). Does anyone have any suggestions on where to get it or the brands?

thanks heaps for replying!

You can infuse the apple juice with the peppers then strain them out before bottling. That way you have all the pepper heat without risk. Alternatively, use dried peppers or red pepper flakes, though they will tend to float.

Bragg organic apple cider vinegar is 5% acidity and I know it's available in Australia. In other instances, if acidity is not listed on the container, check with the manufacturer. I'm guessing most cider vinegars will be in the 5% range as that's fairly standard.

Organic garden suppliers may have food-grade "strong vinegar" which is used for weed control. It can be diluted to the appropriate strength. Of course, it must be handled with care.

Carol

Rhubard is so sour (to me) that when I hear them name , my left eye is automatically closed. LOL
Then on top of that you load it with sugar. AND add vinegar to it too !!! What kind of microbe can dare to get in there and corrupt.

seysonn, the rhubarb plants that you find now are SOUR, but the old-fashioned pie plants are 1/2 as SOUR and some people can eat them raw. I still need some sugar. IF you find a pie plant, get starts, because they are getting rare to find. The original needs to be at least 70-80 years old. I don't think we have had them for sale for at least that long.

PS. The pie plant is RED, not green or reddish green.

I'm still looking for someone to share a bunch of starts.

Um, where are you getting your info, myfamilysfarm?

I have rhubarb that's about 50 years old - it's GREEN.
I have rhubarb that's three years old - it's RED. And I bought roots.

They both taste the SAME. They're just different COLORS.

The CAPITALIZATION is unnecessary and annoying. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

Personal experience. There is a red that is a newer plant, it's sour. The plant that I'm talking about is almost sweet. The last plant that I could have had, the gentleman died and the new people destroyed it. The old plant is really red and I know that his plants (and the starts that he shared) started out as his wife's grandmother's plants. Well over 100 years from the beginning of the starts.

My grandmother also had some of the same type of plant, tasting the same. My grandmother died in 56 and it was from her grandmother also.

As I said, these plants are getting more rare all the time.

"Pie plant" is just a slang term for any culinary variety of rhubarb (as opposed to ornamental varieties). Sources indicate it's been in use since at least the early 1800's. Rhubarb stalks can be red or green depending upon the variety but it's all rhubarb.

People tend to favor the red varieties (an aesthetic preference I suppose) but the green varieties are reported to be more prolific and hardier.

We love rhubarb pie. Properly done it's wonderful.

Carol

Pie plant is rhubarb and what I'm talking about is an heirloom that isn't available commercially anylonger. We love our rhubarb pie, the recipe came down from my grandmother and before I'm sure. It's very simple but not like the cream style of pie.

equal parts of rhubarb and pie (this is for the older, sweeter kind), you will need to add more sugar to your taste. The rhubarb is cubed up in larger than diced sizes. Stir rhubarb and sugar together until rhubarb is totally coated and sugar is mostly attached to rhubarb. Put in a pie shell (partially baked), over with another pie shell, put slits in top shell. Bake for about 45 min in 350 (moderate) oven.

The chunks will still somewhat chunky, but soft.

Add ice cream or cream or eat plain.

I was attempting to clarify that the term pie plant can refer to any color or variety of culinary rhubarb.

The original post stated The pie plant is RED, not green or reddish green.

I wouldn't doubt that there are regional differences in how the term is applied but there are lots of people who would refer to a green variety (whether green throughout or red exterior, green interior) as pie plant and not differentiate.

There are hundreds of varieties of rhubarb out there and over time (multiple generations) the original name of the variety is lost. It might not matter anyway as rhubarb can be unpredictable, especially if grown from seed. Getting starts from established plants will definitely improve the odds of getting what you expect.

Early settlers valued rhubarb, especially in harsher regions, because just as the stored apples are withering and running out the rhubarb would be coming on. It was one of the first fresh "fruits" of the new season.

Carol

Rhubarb can be even earlier than the outdoor crop when it is forced. There is a whole industry devoted to forcing here. Not sure if that's the case in the States. It mostly happens in the 'Rhubarb Triangle'.

BTW the term 'Pie Plant' is not used in the UK at all. We just say Rhubarb. http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/varieties for US varieties.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rhubarb Triangle

Interesting article. I have 4 roots in my hoophouse. I planted them last year in a huge flower pot. I haven't had good luck with it outside so decided to try it inside.

Sigh --
it won't grow in NC even in the mountains. It is just too humid in this State and doesn't get or stay cold long enough or ground frozen deep enough as it does in the Northern States, which is what it needs, and it gets too warm in the summer for them. In my research, here and there are a few old plants growing in NC but they are always spindly and bitter rather than sour. Having been raised in Ohio I remember that everybody seemed to have a pass-a-long heritage rhubarb plant and I thought it would grow anywhere. Not so.
Sigh --
Sure would be nice to trade some rhubarb stems from zone 4 or 5 for our native Muscadine or Scuppernog grapes zone 6, 7 (best), 8 and 9. I know those grapes can't be grown in the North!
Nancy

If I had some, I'd share, but don't have any yet. I'd never had those types of grapes, being raised that a grape is a Concord.

I do understand, Nancy, I lived in FL for 8 years and craved rhubarb pie.

myfamilysfarm - 4 roots in a flowerpot, however big, seems a very tight squeeze to me. Rhubarb needs a a big space.

When you say you are trying it indoors do you mean just to force it or are you trying to grow it inside permanently? Rhubarb needs a cold period ie below 40f in order to induce bud break.

This is mine. It's one plant and would definitely not fit in a pot.

I have mine in 2 pots. 1 root in each isn't as healthy looking. These are huge pots, almost the size for trees.

My hoop house has NO supplemental heat, and it does get cold 20 degrees for a few weeks per year. So far so good.

I hope mine start to look like yours. Even 1/2 that size would make me very happy.

Marla

I don't know if it's red or green, but a newer variety my uncle gave his uncle a few years ago. Great-uncle passed this August and his DD is now living in the house, she had neighbors trying to help clean up the garden and someone mowed the rhubarb - she said it wasn't looking too good before that either but I know nothing about rhubarb. Any chance it will come back?

It's possible. Don't try to harvest it this coming year. If the plant is harvested too much, it can possibly kill the plant. If you can fertilize it, do so. I usually give things a chance to come back.

I agree. Rhubarb is very resilient and a good mowing one season may actually improve things. If it's an old plant it may need to be divided. Here in the PNW, December is a good month to do that.

I saw lots of rhubarb in Scotland, where it is very popular. And old terra cotta Victorian forcers can be pricey.

Carol

Thanks - it's not an old plant, they only gave it to him a few years ago and I don't know if he ever harvested any. We'll see if it comes back. The old patch I remember near the farmhouse when I was a kid was obliterated decades ago, my uncle gave the new plant to his uncle out of sentiment.

If it doesn't make it I did meet someone up the road from me a couple of years ago who has a huge patch, I'm sure he wouldn't mind dividing it if my cousin wants to try growing it.