A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 rhubarb

How long is rhubarb still good to pick and eat? I never know when it is going to be too late to use. I know you can eat it whenever but it is better to eat before too late in summer.

Depends on what type you have.
I live in Wis. and just picked a bunch this weekend.
Mine taste better (not so sour) if I wait until they turn red to pick. Don't wait to long or they will be tough.
I guess I pick all summer long.
If your rhubard sends up seed stalks and flowers, cut them down. They take energy away from the plant.
Tammy

If it gets tough use it in rhubarb pie or strawberry pie.

Are your stalks red or green when they are young?

The more common variety starts out green and fades to red as it grows, 3/4" is plenty big, it starts to get more stringy then, rhubarb freezes well, so if you aren't ready for it while fresh just build up your supply and it'll be there when you are ready.

The other variety has a red stalk from the beginning and is sweeter than the common, which makes it easier to reduce the amount of sugar in a recipe.

Too much food for you from your garden means needed food for your local pantry to feed the needy.

Lastly, rhubarb leaves are poisonous if injested by mammals.

Hope this helps.

Mine is green then red. I suppose the end of June will still be okay right? I could make a pie then and then also freeze some. I already made one pie. I'm afraid I don't use the rhubarb as much as some people do. Right now it is more shade for my toad house then anything.

It will keep growing into the late fall, you have the common variety by your description. The best eating size in thickness is between 1/2" and 3/4" in diameter. You can split the plant in fall and get more if you want, or someone you know would like a plant. Strawberry/rhubarb sauce hot on vanilla ice cream is scrumptous, add some graham cracker crumbs for some crunch or Grape-nuts cereal, mmmmmmgoood. For a summer-time snack add the rhubarb(cooked down) to some plain yogurt, you won't find that flavor in the store.

I just picked a bunch of mine,
tiny red stalks yesterday...
For a person who my mom delivers Meals~on~Wheels too, she wanted to make a pie and couldn't find any.. I picked her a whollllle bunch..

Mine this year are very nice, not dried out like the past years... we've had a good bunch of rain and that helps emmensly!!!

Is rhubarb a perennial? I mean, is it the kind of thing that you plant once and always have it?
If it could grow in a huge pot I'd have it.
I bought a rhubarb and strawberry pie, and couldn't help thinking that I bet the homemade "real" pie would be alot better. The pie I bought was too sweet, very bland, and I honestly still don't know what rhubarb is supposed to taste like.

We have some rhubarb that was small this year but enough to pick for one pie. It is usually a lot more that I can get more than that out of one summer's growth. Because of the extremely hot summer in Wisconsin the rhubarb was slow growing. Now after a lot of rain these last few weeks, it is growing nice and strong. The trouble is, I have heard it said not to pick after August otherwise you lose the strength that is to go back into the plant for next year. But this is so nice for picking right now because it was delayed in growing from the weather. Can I still pick it now without losing the strength to go into the plant for next year's growth?