Cocktail hour - what’s on our minds  

Rhubarb Quoogles:

“Rhubarb is a vegetable” we all know this is a lie… vegetables aren’t a thing

Part of the buckwheat family and also related to swiss chard

Grown primarily these days as a food crop, it has  thousands of years  of history as a medicine.  

The origins are not precisely known. Although it is thought that it made its way more widely into Europe via the silk road during around the 14th century through Aleppo and Smyrna. It was referred to as “Turkish Rhubarb”

During the medieval age in Europe it was more expensive than Cinnamon, opium and saffron.

Rhubarb was harvested in Scotland from at least 1786, having been introduced to the Botanical Garden in Edinburgh by the traveller Bruce of Kinnaird in 1774. He brought the seeds from Abyssinia and they produced 3000 plants.

There is now a region in Yorkshire England called the Rhubarb Triangle which is famous for it’s forced rhubarb. There used to be many producers but the number has dwindled down to just 11 since the rhubarb boom peaked during the world wars.

“Forced” Rhubarb is grown in dark sheds that are still only lit by candle light. This makes the rhubarb considerably sweeter.  The plants are grown outside and allowed to experience a frost 

The coolest thing is that when rhubarb is growing at its fastest in those darkened sheds you can actually hear the cracking and popping of the stems growing. 

There is a lot of variation in color. I’ve only been able to grow a green/red variety. I REALLY REALLY want a variety with fully red stems, but I seem to be shitty at growing them.

Rhubarb is grown for its petioles (AKA the stalks) Which is the part of the plant that attaches the leaves to the stems, So the “stem” of rhubarb are actually underground. Usually referred to as “Crowns” 

The "all bran" of the enlightenment 

Recipe Source

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake Recipe | Martha Stewart

Ingredients 

Topping

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup sugar

• Coarse salt

Cake

• ½ Stick unsalted butter cut into small cubes ,for buttering pan

• 1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut on a very sharp diagonal about 1/2 inch thick

• 3/4 cups sugar

• 1 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more 

• 1 cups sugar

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• Coarse salt

• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest plus 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup sour cream

Special Equipment 

Mixer

Resources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhubarb

Savor Podcast - Rhubarb, Humble Pie Plant

Encyclopedia Botanica - Rhubarb

Epic Gardening - How To Grow Rhubarb

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The Rhubarb Triangle

On Food And Cooking