It's not often I brag about my plants but the rhubarb is one I am proud of growing. I had ordered a small rhubarb root a couple of years ago and just threw it in the ground in the middle of the yard not really sure of what I was doing but having some vague idea that it would grow okay without too much attention. My favorite plants are those that don't require too much attention all the time as who needs gardening to be a chore? The only exception is roses for which I am compelled to prune and fertilize and deadhead and feed and water and adjust the soil near them or whatever as they are just plain needy plants -- and I do love their flowers. But back to the rhubarb, each summer it grows bigger and bigger with lovely thick stems that I can pick and cook and put into desserts. I've made sure it got some water if there was a heat spell and if I'm adding plant food to anything else (like those greedy roses) I'd throw some near the rhubarb too. This summer I've made Rhubarb Betty, Rhubarb Crumble and also put diced rhubarb in a meat dish and rhubarb puree in muffins. My favorite way to cook them is to slice them up and let them cook slowly in a crock pot with some lemon juice, butter and water and hey presto, an hour or so later, there's dessert! I recently discovered that the leaves are noxious with oxalic acid so you can't eat that part of the plant. There's nothing like growing your own food in the back yard!
