Allen Hegemann’s pushing 60 this year. Still, he committed to a new rhubarb field, setting out nearly 50 plants last year at his farm near Imperial. He’ll be nearing 85 when the field comes to full maturity. “Rhubarb’s not something you get into overnight,” he said. “I’d been growing a kind similar to what my grandfather grew. I started out with 13 plants, then divided those to get more. I lost some to cutworms and hard winters. And then, just as the field got going good, the county took it for a new road, so I had to start over. If I was a young man, I would really get into rhubarb. I enjoy it, and not many folks worry with it now.”
Like asparagus, rhubarb is a labor-intensive crop. Rows must be hilled to provide good drainage. Weeding is by hand or not at all – no herbicides can be used. The tender leaves won’t tolerate late spring frosts, nor does cool-season rhubarb suffer excessive heat gladly. Plus, the plants can’t be harvested heavily until they’ve been in the ground three years. And rhubarb sells cheap, but costs farmers dear. So why bother to grow it?
For the taste. Tart as an unsatisfied spinster’s tongue, rhubarb is guaranteed to wake up winter-weary palates. Double-crust pies chocked with rhubarb and sweet spring strawberries, stand-alone rhubarb pies with streusel topping, crisps, rhubarb muffins and quick breads with golden raisins and pecans all showcase rhubarb’s distinctive tartness. If you haven’t tasted rhubarb, these traditional favorites are a good place to start.
Look for firm, deep red stalks. “The redder the stalk, the sweeter the rhubarb,” Hegemann said. Generally, smaller stalks are more tender and less stringy. To remove strings from larger stalks, trim the base, then catch the strings with the edge of the knife. Pull towards the leaf end and discard the strings.
Rhubarb roasts beautifully, retaining its bright pink color. Plus, the pieces stay chunky. It’s too easy: Wash and cut five stalks into pieces just under 2 inches long. Toss with the juice of an orange or a large lemon. Add a teaspoon of vanilla and stir. Sweeten with a half-cup of fine sugar, toss in a glass pan and roast at 300 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes. It’s my new favorite way to cook rhubarb.
Think roasted rhubarb for conserves, molded gelatin salads, frozen yogurt, sorbets and ice cream. For a change-up pitch on fruit and yogurt, stir in some roasted rhubarb. Once you’ve become a convert, you may want to try old-fashioned favorites like rhubarb chutneys, relishes and preserves.
Or try rhubarb cooked down, similar to making applesauce. “My mother made rhubarb sauce,” said Hegemann. “Use it like a jam or a jelly, or as sauce on ice cream.” Ready yourself for a taste that’s bright, brisk and sour. Be forewarned; the beautiful red rhubarb turns khaki by the time it’s done cooking with this method.
You’ll find rhubarb this year at the Hegemann Farms stand at Soulard Market until mid-June. Hegemann has plenty, but he’s one of only a few growers whose rhubarb survived last year’s weather disasters. Because he watered heavily throughout the drought, his plants were less stressed going into winter. Hegemann advises folks to come by his stand early – probably before 10. Definitely before noon.
Scharf Family Farm will be selling rhubarb at its farm stand, 4 miles north of Millstadt, on Route 163. “We probably won’t have enough rhubarb to sell at Soulard this year,” said Nancy Scharf, “but we will have strawberries to go with the rhubarb, at the farm and at Soulard.”
Hegemann won’t be selling much from his farm stand on Lion’s Den Road near Imperial this year. His mother, who ran the stand, died this past March. He’s the last of three generations to farm his land. He doesn’t know who will take over when he’s too old to farm. “I’ve always loved farming, and selling what I grow. There’s nothing better than when a customer comes back and says, ‘The rhubarb you grew was awesome.’ It just can’t get better.”
This article appears in Jun 1-30, 2008.