Rhubarb in the Vegetable Garden.

So glad Freddie of the GreatBigVegetableChallenge likes rhubarb, and has been eating it straight from the vegetable garden.

We went to Wakefield to see the rhubarb sheds, which are surrounded by huge water pipes carrying hot water to keep the sheds warm. Small fireplaces in each shed glow as they heat the water for the heating pipes.

But the most amazing thing was seeing the stocky Yorkshire-men carrying small candles into the shed to pick the rhubarb stalks. Only very small flames are allowed, because the tender, pink stalks need absolute darkness! The roofs are low, and there is a strange silence in the sheds.

For more information on rhubarb see:

• forcing rhubarb
  
• freezing rhubarb
• flowering rhubarb
• how long to pick rhubarb

Click on the image below to visit amazon.com & find out more about this book or visit the TopVeg bookshop.

Rhubarb crumble is the ultimate reward for growing rhubarb in the vegetable garden.