Rhubarb is a perennial vegetable plant, grown for its remarkable edible pink stems with a tangy flavour. Additionally, its large leaves are highly decorative in the garden. Hardy, it is very easy to grow in fresh, fertile soil. This stem vegetable is ideal for making desserts, such as delicious tarts, compote, preserves and indulgent homemade jam. Discover our recipe for delicious rhubarb jam that will delight young and old alike.

When, how and where to harvest rhubarb?

When to harvest?

Rhubarb harvesting begins in May-June and continues until September, sometimes October. If you've just planted it in your garden, wait until the second year to harvest.

How to harvest rhubarb?

  • Choose firm stems;
  • Using a knife, cut the stem at its base;
  • Be sure to always leave 1/3 of the stems on the plant so it can regenerate;
  • Remove the leaves.

Important: Rhubarb leaves are not edible. Indeed, they are rich in oxalic acid which can be toxic if ingested. However, you can add them to your compost or make a rhubarb purin which is an excellent repellent.

Finally, we advise you to remove the flower stems as soon as they appear. This prevents your rhubarb plant from becoming unnecessarily exhausted.

Which rhubarb varieties to choose?

Choose an edible rhubarb variety, from the Rheum genus, belonging to the Polygonaceae family. They are easily recognisable by their large green leaves, but especially by their red stems. Only harvest untreated rhubarb stems.

Here is a small selection of our favourite varieties:

  • Ribbed rhubarb, also known by the pretty name "garden rhubarb", produces beautiful large stems in green and bright pink. It is the most common variety in our gardens. Its taste is tangy. Very hardy, it can reach 1 m to 1.50 m in spread. This variety is also available in organic.
  • 'Livingstone' red rhubarb offers beautiful bright red stems. This variety, which can reach 1 m to 1.50 m in spread, is low in fibre, tangy and early.
  • If you want a fairly low-growing rhubarb variety, 'Fulton's Strawberry Surprise' is perfect for you, at 60 cm tall. It also has the particularity of being grown both in the ground and in pots.
  • 'Canada Red' rhubarb offers stems of a beautiful red colour, low in fibre and rather sweet.
  • 'Raspberry Red' rhubarb is an early variety that develops large red stems, tending towards green. Its taste is rather sweet, perfect for making compotes.

The stems of ribbed rhubarb

Rhubarb jam recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 kilo of rhubarb
  • 1 kilo of white sugar, or jam sugar, or granulated sugar
  • Optional:
    • 1 organic lemon or 5 cl of lemon juice
    • 1 sachet of vanilla sugar or a vanilla pod

Cooking time:

30 minutes

Recipe:

Before starting, remember to sterilise your jars.

  • 1/ Remove the leaves and the base of the stem

  • 2/ Wash your rhubarb sticks in cold water, then dry them
  • 3/ You can peel the stems to make them less fibrous
  • 4/ Using a knife, cut the sticks into small pieces

  • 5/ In a saucepan, stockpot or jam pan, mix your rhubarb pieces with the powdered sugar. You can optionally add the lemon juice, vanilla sugar or a vanilla pod split in two.

  • 6/ Bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. If your sugar contains gelling agent, reduce the cooking time to 10 minutes. Regularly remove the scum from the surface with a skimmer.
  • 7/ To check the consistency of your jam, pour a few drops onto a cold plate that you place in the refrigerator. After 2 minutes, take out your plate and tilt it: if the jam runs too quickly, let it cook for another 5 minutes. Repeat until the jam runs very slowly from the plate.
  • 8/ Using a ladle, immediately pour your jam into previously sterilised jars. Fill the jars to the brim, seal them with their lids and immediately turn the jar upside down with a tea towel. Let the jars cool at room temperature.

  • 9/ Then store them in a room away from light and temperature variations.
  • 10/ Once opened, keep your jar of jam in the refrigerator.

My tip: to avoid the jam being too fibrous, you can blend it just before the end of cooking.

Recipe ideas: you can combine rhubarb with banana, mint, apple, raspberries or strawberries to vary your jam recipes.

The benefits of rhubarb

Originating from Asia, rhubarb was already cultivated 5000 years ago as a medicinal plant. It is said to contain vitamin C and minerals such as phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium.

To go further: