These Canadians Harvest Rhubarb In February

These Canadians Harvest Rhubarb In February Thanks to Lennox Farm folks around Toronto enjoy locally grown rhubarb as early as Valentine’s Day “We grow ‘forced rhubarb’ that’s grown in the dark ” explains Bill French a partner in the family business in Melancthon Ont “It’s less tart and redder because there’s no chlorophyll It’s very tender so we wear rubber gloves when we pick it ” The method dates back to the 1700’s in France after an accidental discovery that rhubarb grew in the dark when the temperature warmed When French’s grandfather moved from England he planted rhubarb in Canada For extra income he started growing forced rhubarb in the winter The tradition carried on with French’s father and at one time there were 43 growers in the area High fuel prices in the 1970’s forced most out of the business and Lennox Farm is currently the only forced rhubarb grower in the area The process starts by growing rhubarb outside for a couple of years The varieties are Victoria and Sutton In the fall the roots are dug with an old potato digger They are packed closely together on a little dirt with narrow walkways in sheds Lennox Farms has 10 000 sq ft of space in three insulated sheds and is adding another shed After Christmas the first shed is heated to 50 F and the first stalks of rhubarb are ready to harvest by mid-February Each root ball grows several stalks for about eight harvests with no light a weekly watering with a garden hose and nozzle and a fan running to keep the small leaves dry to prevent mold When the harvest is over the roots are hauled out of the shed spread in the field and disced to break them up to return as compost to the soil Heat is turned on in the second and third sheds at two later times to lengthen the season until mid-May After that the field-grown rhubarb Canada Red and German Wine varieties are ready to harvest through early July “You need the right soil to start with ” French says about the well-drained sandy loam soil they have for growing rhubarb Lennox Farm grows 85 acres of rhubarb as well as peas brussels sprouts and other vegetables for wholesale and direct markets “Growing forced rhubarb requires a strong back and weak mind ” French says with a laugh The plant roots with clinging soil average 50 lbs each and there’s a lot of bending lifting and cutting involved But it’s a specialty crop that upscale markets in the region are willing to purchase for $5/lb and sell for $8 to $9/lb Lennox Farm sells the seconds and cuts up rhubarb at their on-farm shop Because it’s less tart the winter rhubarb requires about half the sugar in recipes and it’s very popular around Easter It also cooks up more quickly because it’s so tender The farm is experimenting with an Australian variety that could extend their season well into the fall Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Lennox Farm Ltd 518024 Dufferin Cty Rd 124 Melancthon Ontario Canada L9V 1V9 ph 519-925-6444; lennoxfarms@hotmail com; www lennoxfarm ca

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