what shall I do with the three rather large sticks of rhubarb my fil has given me?

[lucysmam]

Please bear in mind that there is only me who will eat it in the house so any suggestions must be freezeable...

tyvm in advance

oh and where should I keep it between now and making something with it please?

Take the leaves off and keep it in the fridge.
You could make a crumble and freeze portions. Its enough for one family crumble.
Or a rhubarb compote is lovely - simmer it in orange juice and plenty of sugar until it just collapses. Fab for stirring into yogurt.

old Scottish recipe

wash and cut into 6 inch pieces
put 1 cup of sugar into a brown paper bag
dip the damp rhubarb in the sugar
sook the sugar off the rhubarb

repeat until sugar is gone

throw away the rhubarb

I'm not joking!

Wild, I seem to recall doing that when my dad had a rhubarb plant!

Crumble....why didn't I think of crumble! They'll eat the topping with me for pud...brilliant & I have a few small ramekin-ish dishes I could make myself mini ones in

Rhubarb and strawberry crumble is divine.

Or you could give them to the kids for 'swordfights'.

Compote is best - nicely chilled in this weather. Yum. You can always add cream or vanilla ice-cream for some extra calories and/or sprinkle broken flapjacks/museli things on top for an alternative to crumble. Freezes of course superbly.

It does freeze excellently, I try and save some for the winter to go in porridge.

Stewed rhubarb.... eaten alone or with cream or with yoghurt - yum!

Stew it gently with orange juice, ginger (if liked) and sugar. Freeze in small portions. It's lovely with yoghourt, and on muesli/breakfast cereal or on its own. Makes lovely jam too.

Rhubarb Eton mess! There a recipe on the river cottage website that's really good.

Stew with sugar (lots) - cool and it with plain yoghurt - yum

At a good festival recently they used stewed rhubarb with lemonade to make a long refreshing drink. I might try it with fizzy wine!!

Another vote for rhubarb and strawberry crumble - absolute bliss!
Best crumble topping ever is Nigella's using sr flour and a high fat/sugar content - never fails.

Rhubarb & ginger jam is lovely :)

I half wish I hadn't asked.....so many yummy things to do and I only have three sticks of the stuff! Wonder how hard it is to grow...

It's super easy to grow! Planted a root thing from the garden centre a few months ago and it's massive. But a random passing gardener said I shouldn't cut it this year, it's first, or it will die. Is that true? Because I have a massive amount of tempting rhubarb that I can't use and it's really not fair!

I think it's really easy to grow. We have some, planted years ago and not by us, that just keeps on going and it is squeezed between the bonfire and the compost heap so not in the most salubrious place. I don't do anything to it, but every year I get a few crumbles worth of rhubarb from it.

No idea about the first year thing though.

Wonder if my dad might take me for a wander to a garden centre over the next few days....if they're not fussed where they go then I doubt a plant would mind being in my dodgy garden

could you ask them about the first year thing for me?

could you ask them about the first year thing for me?

oops

If I manage to convince my dad to take me I will find out....'tis unlikely though...he avoids spending much time with me

Have just text my dad to ask him about garden centre....he said no to this weekend for that but he has a plant in the garden, said yes you can cut it in first year, will just be a bit weak. But don't eat the leaves!

If you have a compost bin, the leaves are brilliant compost - they seem to have some secret magic properties which make everything around it rot down really well.

I think the first year thing might be rubbish - I'm sure I harvested my rhubarb the first year it grew.

Excellent! The plant is massive! Thank you!