I believe there is a ruling or an old wives' tale that says you must not
pick and eat your rhubarb after a certain date during the summer. Anyone
know if this is the case, and if so why, and what the date is?

In message , Plum
writes
I believe there is a ruling or an old wives' tale that says you must not
pick and eat your rhubarb after a certain date during the summer. Anyone
know if this is the case, and if so why, and what the date is?

Reasons

1) If you keep picking rhubarb all summer you'll weaken the plant.
2) Rhubarb stalks (technically leaf petioles) get rather fibrous later
in the year (tho' I've heard that the 'Timperley Early' variety
doesn't).
3) It's alleged that the oxalic acid content of rhubarb increases later
in the year. (Oxalic acid is why you should eschew rhubarb leaves.)

Any specific date is arbitrary - the line would depend on variety,
locality, and that season's weather.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

The message
from "Plum" contains these words:

I believe there is a ruling or an old wives' tale that says you must not
pick and eat your rhubarb after a certain date during the summer. Anyone
know if this is the case, and if so why, and what the date is?

If you go on pulling rhubarb through the year you will so weaken the
crowns that the sticks will soon become weedy and thin.

One should stop pulling it around the time gooseberries ripen.

Some say that there is a lot more oxalic acid in the sticks after that
time, but I don't know if this is really so.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
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Many thanks. That all sounds like good sense.

"Plum" wrote in message
om...
I believe there is a ruling or an old wives' tale that says you must not
pick and eat your rhubarb after a certain date during the summer. Anyone
know if this is the case, and if so why, and what the date is?

The message
from Martin contains these words:
On Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:03:56 +0100, "Plum" wrote:
"Plum" wrote in message
news:lMqdnfJteOnzIG3VnZ2dneKdnZydnZ2d@brightview. com...
I believe there is a ruling or an old wives' tale that says you must not
pick and eat your rhubarb after a certain date during the summer. Anyone
know if this is the case, and if so why, and what the date is?

Many thanks. That all sounds like good sense.

It might if you knew the date.

It's a movable feast - as I said, when the gooseberries are ripe.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
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