It's Rhubarb...but It's not Rhubarb

Forced Winter Rhubarb

Forced rhubarb is a winter specialty that's quite different from rhubarb grown outdoors: It's milder, more tender, and brightly coloured. 

Brian French and his wife Jeannette run Lennox Farm in Dufferin County, in Ontario. Along with field-grown rhubarb, they force rhubarb indoors during the winter. 

Brian French explains how to force rhubarb:

The French family at Lennox Farm. Brian French at right.

• The difference between forced and field-grown rhubarb

• Conditions needed to force rhubarb over the winter

• Varieties of rhubarb for forcing

• Growing rhubarb roots for forcing

• Digging rhubarb roots for forcing

• Tips for growing rhubarb at home

(Spoiler alert: Brian tells us whether it's really necessary to harvest by candlelight, as it's traditionally done!)

Pictures of Rhubarb Forcing

Connect

• website: lennoxfarm.ca

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Artisan Tomatoes and a Tomato Addiction

Heirloom and Unusual Tomato Varieties

We chat Teresa Zohorsky from Solana Garden in Ontario.

What started as a fascination with unusual tomato varieties grew into an addiction! Teresa specialized in heirloom and unusual tomato varieties, and now sells tomato transplants and fruit.

We talk about:

• Top varieties

• Resources for finding and researching tomato varieties

• Selecting tomato varieties suited to the growing conditions

• Tips for people who want to get started growing heirloom and unusual tomatoes

Connect

• @solana_garden in Instagram and Twitter

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Grow Quince + Delectable Root Veg Recipes

Spoiler alert: Scroll down for recipes!

Growing Quince

Quince expert Joseph Postman joins us to talk about quince. This fragrant fruit is unknown to many in North America, and often relegated to use as a rootstock for pear trees.

Postman is a retired plant pathologist and curator of the USDA National Clonal Germplasm Repository in Corvallis, Oregon, where he helped develop a pear collection with cultivars and species from around the world.

We talk about:

• What is quince

• How to use quince fruit

• The use of quince trees as rootstock for pear trees

• Quince varieties

• Quince cold hardiness

• Quince diseases

Delectable Root Vegetable Recipes

Cookbook author and professional home economist Jennifer MacKenzie joins us to talk about cooking root vegetables and shares recipes from her book The Complete Root Cellar Book.

We talk about:

• Shopping for root veg

• What to look for if you're planning to store root veg

• Spiced roasted turnip and beet batons

• Beet and carrot slaw

• Root cellar medley soup

• Parsnip and pear soup

MacKenzie is the author of 9 cookbooks.

• Sous Vide Basics

• 150 Best Waffle Maker Recipes

• The Complete Book of Pickling

• The Dehydrator Bible

• The Complete Trail Food Cookbook

• The Complete Root Cellar Book

• Complete Curry Cookbook

• Best of Bridge Home Preserving

Quince expert Joseph Postman

Jennifer MacKenzie, author of The Complete Root Cellar Book

Recipes from The Complete Root Cellar Book

Parsnip and Pear Soup

From The Complete Root Cellar Book by Steve Maxwell and Jennifer MacKenzie (Robert Rose 2010); used with permission.

The sweet, floral flavor of pears tames the stronger flavor of parsnips in this light and velvety soup.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

• 1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped shallots

• 2 pears, peeled and chopped

• 1 small all-purpose potato, peeled and chopped

• 4 cups (1 L) chopped parsnips (6 to 10)

• 4 cups (1 L) homemade vegetable stock or chicken stock, or reduced-sodium ready-to-use vegetable or chicken broth

• 1 tbsp (15 mL) white wine vinegar

• 1 tsp (5 mL) salt, or to taste

• 1/2  tsp (2 mL) freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

• Chopped fresh parsley

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté for about 3 minutes or until starting to soften. Add pears, potato and parsnips; sauté for 5 minutes or until parsnips start to soften.

2. Add stock and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until vegetables are very soft.

3. Using an immersion blender in pot or transferring soup in batches to an upright blender, purée until very smooth. Return to pot, if necessary.

4. Add water or more stock to thin to desired consistency. Reheat over medium heat until steaming, stirring often. Stir in vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Ladle into warmed bowls and serve sprinkled with parsley.

Tips: If your parsnips have tough, woody cores, trim them away when chopping; they’ll cause your soup to be stringy.

To dress up this soup for entertaining, float a spiced pear crisp (see page 138 of the book for the recipe) on each serving.  

Spice-Roasted Turnip and Beet Batons

From The Complete Root Cellar Book by Steve Maxwell and Jennifer MacKenzie (Robert Rose 2010); used with permission.

Change up your traditional vegetable side dishes by adding a dash of spice and roasting them instead of boiling, and you’ll think you’re eating an entirely new food.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

• Preheat oven to 400F (200C)

• Large rimmed baking sheet, lined with foil

Ingredients

• 3 large turnips (about 1 lb/500 g)

• 2 large beets (about 1 lb/500 g)

• 2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil

• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) curry powder

• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cumin

• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground coriander

• 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) cayenne pepper

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Peel turnips and rinse. Trim off leaf stalks from beets (reserving for another use if desired) and trim off long roots. Peel beets and rinse. Cut turnips and beets lengthwise into sticks about 1/2-inch (1 cm) square.

2. On prepared baking sheet, toss turnips and beets with oil, curry powder, cumin, coriander and cayenne. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Spread out as much as possible. Bake in preheated oven for about 50 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until vegetables are tender and browned. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Transfer to a warmed serving dish.

Tip: A sharp Y-shaped vegetable peeler is very helpful when you’re peeling hard root vegetables, such as turnips and beets. If your peeler seems to be dragging the skin rather than neatly peeling it off, it’s probably time to invest in a new one.

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