Beautiful Rhubarb

There are those who adore rhubarb and those who ignore rhubarb, myself admittedly one of the latter types. Why do I ignore rhubarb? I have little use for it in my little experience with it, I do not make time to learn to use and enjoy it, in my growing experiences it has proven invasive in smaller garden spaces, in my sales experiences it is a long and tangled hassle to weigh and pack off to a customer home. I remain in an under-educated and oblivious position with the joys of rhubarb, but I realize not everyone is like me. I watch and help many a Tierra customer select and tote home small arm loads of this wonder fruit/veggie each week, awkwardly packing the tangled stalks of rhubarb into their bag loads of seasonal fare. Just a day or two ago, a regular CSA customer stopped in the farm stand on her way out to tag rhubarb onto her order, a sensual pleasure she could not go home without as long as the season lasts.

When I asked her to further explain what it was about the rhubarb she went into a sensory list that included four of the five senses. She adored the look, smell, taste and texture. I am sure if it made any noise she would love the way it sounded too. She certainly made me stop and look twice at the stalky fruit/vegetable that I have been passing over the scale and out the door of the farm stand for weeks now. It is quite beautiful. Our field manager, Pablo, agrees as I saw him carrying around a stalk of a new variety we are producing this season in admiration of it's visual beauty and quality. Our customers in San Francisco seem to agree too as we have continued to sell quite a bit of rhubarb in the city each week. I am certain farmer Lee is proud of the results of her hard work to select a successful variety and bring it to fruition on the farm too. So, take it from someone who neglects the availability of such a resource right in front of me, people are loving our rhubarb and if you are at all interested in such an ingredient I suggest you try some too. At least come indulge in a few of the sensory pleasures it offers and come and see it growing if you like, I can point you in the direction. Additionally, grow some yourself! We still have a couple of gallon pots for sale.