Looking For A Legacy? Here's An Easy One: Rhubarb

This post can also be read on bonappetit.com

It has finally happened. Spring, that is. Farmstands in my area of Pennsylvania are teeming with ramps and asparagus and chives, all of which I've been cooking daily. It feels so right to eat something other than root vegetables. (Nothing against turnips, but a little green is very welcome after the winter we had.)

I've been eating a lot of rhubarb, too. One of those practically care-free plants, it shoots up pretty pink stalks every spring and, like my watercress, just keeps on giving, year after year. In fact, given its ease of cultivation, it's a wonder that only one bunch of it is planted here on the farm.

Yesterday morning, as I spread rhubarb compote over freshly baked biscuits, I decided to change that. I took a ride to the local Agway and bought eight rhubarb crowns for $1.50 each. Twelve bucks is a small price to pay for a lifetime of rhubarb. And if these plants take, it's likely they'll outlast me. (The one plant that's growing here has outlasted the man who placed it in the ground, my grandfather.)



Rhubarb crowns aren't much to look at. They come in a little plastic bag and are packed in sawdust. Chances are they've been sitting around for a while, so the first thing I like to do is give them a good soak in water for several hours. Then I grab a shovel and pick a spot that will get lots of sun but be out of the way. You should put some thought into picking that spot. It will be your rhubarb patch from now on.

Some folks like to fertilize or add compost to their rhubarb, and it can't hurt. But it's not necessary. Rhubarb wants to live, and it will send its roots as far down into the soil as it needs to find food. To plant, loosen the soil about 10 inches down, place the crowns in the ground at a depth of two inches, and cover them up with soil. Then wait. Next year, you'll have rhubarb (though you should go easy on the first harvest). And your grandkids will have rhubarb, too. Even if you're not around to see it.

Photographs by Ian Knauer

Here's an easy way to make a quick rhubarb compote. I eat it for breakfast on biscuits and for dessert with vanilla ice cream.

Rhubarb Compote
Makes about 1 1/4 cups Be sure to trim the leaves from your rhubarb stalks (and don't eat the roots). They contain a high concentration of oxalic acid, which is poisonous.


1 lb. rhubarb stalks, cut into 1/2"pieces
3/4 cup sugar
Kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Bring rhubarb, sugar, a pinch of salt, and 2 Tbsp. water to a boil in a small heavy saucepan. Lower heat and cook, stirring often, until rhubarb has broken down and sauce is thickened, 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let cool to room temperature.