Rhubarb

[Hazel at the Hill]

Where I grew up in South Manchester we said not to pick them after October 10th because the devil had trailed his coat tails over them so they were dry and pippy. (They are by then too!)

Flum

Hey Flum - that's my birthday!!

[Flummery]

Hey Flum - that's my birthday!!

Blackberry pie instead of birthday cake?

[Flummery]

I don't think you notice it as a change of flavour. It's just more acidic so you add more sugar and it tastes the same. More fattening though! This is why you make Rhubarb wine in May. You want the wine dry, but not acidic.

Flum

[Grandpadragon]

1 LJ thanks for the trouble you are going to for me.
2 Flum my (or rather Granny Dragons) Rhubarb pie/tart/crumble is never fattening as we use splenda not sugar coz I is diabetic
3 Flum haven't made wine for 40 years as its so cheap to buy, Aldi sell a lovely
White Zinvandel for £3

[Flummery]

I can make a gallon for £3.00! That's 5 free bottles!

[terrier]

With regard to rhubarb growing higher every year, is it OK to transplant the crowns? I have a few plants dotted about the patch and would like to keep them tidier by putting them all in one raised bed?

[Grandpadragon]

Hi Terrier,
Best time to do it is of course Winter but that would mean not much crops next year. So I suggest that you move half now taking as much soil as pos with them and giving them a big dollop of muck both under and on top and keep them well watered. Move the rest next winter after the leaves have died back. crop the unmoved ones this year and then the moved ones next year. this way you get crops both years and have a back up if anything does go wrong. I have a feeling that if you try to kill rhubarb you will probably fail

[Grandpadragon]

I can make a gallon for £3.00! That's 5 free bottles!

I bet you didn't cost in your labour at min labour rate of £5-25/hr
Any way I'd rather sit on the patio with a glass and watch the plants grow, and another thing I got to get some pleasure out of my pension

[Flummery]

It's not labour if you enjoy it Grandpadragon! What would our veg be worth if we costed them too? We do it for the pleasure (and the second pleasure of eating/drinking later!)

[Waffler]

There's a saying about the devil and blackberries too. Where I grew up in South Manchester we said not to pick them after October 10th because the devil had trailed his coat tails over them so they were dry and pippy. (They are by then too!)

Flum

As a child I was always told the Devil spat on the blackberries after a certain date - but it was earlier than October - think it was 16th ish September.