With an earthy, tart flavour, rhubarb is great when sweetened in pies, muffins, crumbles, and ice cream sauce!

How do we make sure we provide top quality rhubarb?

Simple – we grow them ourselves! Sam draws on 3 generations of horticultural experience to grow delicious, flavoursome and gourmet rhubarb. When we hand-harvest, we only pick rhubarb if the stalks are glossy, firm and crisp. We also make sure the leaves are firm and turgid (no signs of limpness or disease). Further, we make sure the rhubarb bush does not have any rough or stringy stalks (which indicate that the rhubarb is overly mature). Finally, we look for the stalks that are deep red in colour – they tend to be the sweetest and richest in flavour.

Where do we source our rhubarb from?

Our rhubarb usually comes direct from our farm – planted, cultivated and hand-picked by Sam and the team. It thrives in our quick-draining and nutrient rich soils, however when conditions aren’t favourable to growing them on our farm (due to seasonality, crop rotation etc) we source rhubarb from other farmers in areas with similar geographical and climatic conditions (such as from other farms around Bacchus Marsh, or around Werribee).

What is the best way to keep rhubarb?

If you’re not using the rhubarb soon after you receive it, remove the tops (they store better without them on), then wrap the rhubarb in cling wrap and store it in the coldest part of the fridge (away from refrigerator fans). Optimal storage conditions are at 0°C and 95%-100% relative humidity. Rhubarb will freeze well either raw or cooked.

Rhubarb nutritional information

Rhubarb is very high in calcium (it’s unusual to have such a high quantity in a vegetable), vitamin C, dietary fibre, potassium, vitamin B1 and vitamin B3.

Rhubarb serving tips and suggestions

Instead of using sugar to sweeten the rhubarb, try using honey, apple juice or orange juice. When cooking, it’s a good idea not to use aluminum pots – the acidic nature of the rhubarb may react with it. As a final (and very important!) tip, don’t eat the leaves – they’re highly poisonous, as they contain a toxin known as oxalate, which is poisonous to humans.