Rhubarb

Any advice on best way to harvest, prepare, store, cook etc !
Looks like I am going to have lots of it .now I have to work out what to do with it all.

i just boil it up with a little sugar, then let it cool down, then bag it up in meal size in zip glad bags, and put them in the freezer

canajanz, rhubarb can be frozen raw or cooked.
If freezing it raw, simply prepare the rhubarb as you would if cooking it, then place it in a plastic bag and if possible spread it out flat - that way you should find that you have free-flow frozen rhubarb which IMO is best cooked directly from the freezer i.e. without thawing it first.

Here's some info/advice and a couple of recipes that you might find useful.
RHUBARB CUSTARD CRUMBLE
450g rhubarb trimmed and cut into 2.5cm (1”) pieces - fresh or frozen.
Custard:
3 rounded household tbsp custard powder
85g white sugar
450ml milk

Make a custard with all the ingredients & once it has boiled add the raw rhubarb – the custard will need to be very thick & stodgy. Place the rhubarb & custard mixture into a 1.5-2 litre ovenproof dish, then top the mixture with the
Crumble:
170g flour
85g each of brown sugar and butter or margarine.
Rub the butter into the flour to form a crumby mixture, then mix the brown sugar lightly through.
Bake at 180°C for 40-45 minutes.

HINT: a now-late friend of my DH's family gave me this tip 30+ years ago.let the rhubarb stand, covered by boiling water, for 5 minutes, then drain that water off - I don't recommend doing this for the Rhubarb Custard Crumble but it sure does work otherwise and I find it to be great especially when making.
SPICED RHUBARB
500g rhubarb (trimmed and cut into 2cm lengths)
1 tsp ground ginger,
2 tbsp very finely chopped preserved / crystallised ginger
sugar to taste and 2 tbsp water – see note below
Place all the ingredients in an oven proof dish and cover the dish. Cook at 150°C for 15-20 minutes or until the fruit is tender.
Serve hot, warm or cold.
Note: If the rhubarb is prepared as in the above hint, the 2 tbsp water shouldn’t be needed and neither should the sugar because of the sugar coating on the ginger.

Hope that helps - for more recipes, ideas/suggestions/advice try doing a search here on this Trademe MB using rhubarb as the Keyword and Last year as the Date posted option - you'll find lots of earlier threads on this same topic. :-))

Thanks Sam . doyou also have advice on how best to harvest it! Twisting or cutting!
Plant maintenance ! 2 of the plants have spotty leaves and limp stalks . teh other one looks lovely.

canajanz, I never cut the rhubarb from the plant.My understanding is that the way I always harvest the rhubarb is the best/correct way to do so - I always pick the stalks from the outside of the plant by simply gripping each stalk and pulling firmly on it so that it is released from around the base of the plant.
Rhubarb is a gross feeder i.e. it likes/needs plenty of compost, manure (e.g. a good sprinkling of ground sheep manure) and careful watering- not too much but don't allow the rhubarb to become dry either or the stalks will become limp and unusable.
Lastly, but definitely worth mentioning (just in case you're not aware) - DON'T eat the rhubarb leaves - they are poisonous.

Hope that helps.:-))

Edited to add.
Re: "Plant maintenance ! 2 of the plants have spotty leaves and limp stalks . teh other one looks lovely." - For more info/advice I suggest that you ask in the Gardening and DIY Thread where there will hopefully be someone who can give you more specific advice.

Rhubarb LOVES blood and bone fertilizer, I generally give mine a couple of handfuls about now and thats all it gets, and I end up giving it away all over the place as well as freezing it with apple and on its own.

When boiling rhubarb first cover with boiling water and steep for a few minutes, drain and add more water then boil until cooked. This removes the 'furry' feeling on your teeth when eating it.

I usually twist/pull when picking it and then wash it and cut it up and freeze in portion lots.I prefer doing it this way and cooking it as I want it as I am the only one who eats it.

I always cook mine in orange juice and only addabout 1 tab of sugar,as the orange juice helps sweeten it and I love the taste.

I absolutely LOVE Rhubarb and after poaching Rhubarb and Apple together for years to have either as a dessert of with cereal I finally decided to be a bit more adventurous with it and discovered that Rhubarb and Strawberry are a superb combination, so tried this STRAWBERRY and RHUBARB Pie.absolute heaven-on-earth!

http://www.joyofbaking.com/StrawberryRhubarbPie.html#ixzz1jwVdk1Zk

Yes, orange is lovely with it. I finely grate the skin into it.

We harvested some yesterday and yes it is a firm pull on the base of the stalk you want. Inlaws have been away on hols so we thought we would go and check on their garden - blimey - seriously monster rhubarb looked like it was going to sprout legs and come after me!
Silverbeet you should cut with sharp knife low down.

Silverbeet you should cut with sharp knife low down. Quote #12
Really! It is much tidier to twist it at the base and does not leave anything to rot.

That sounds interesting
I will try that next time

OK so I cut my first harvest off
Do I now need to go back and pull off the stubs!

My MiL used to put ginger into a lot of her jams . especially rhubarb

canajanz, presuming that you are asking re rhubarb.Don't cut - simply grasp and firmly pull each rhubarb stalk, preferably without breaking it, and there should be no 'stubs' left to pull off i.e. at the base of each stalk should be a lighter (usually white) part which was where the stalk was attached to the crown of the plant.If the stalk does break then yes, go back and pull off the remainder of the stalk + the lighter (usually white) part that was where the stalk was attached to the crown of the plant.There should be no need for a knife or any other cutting implement until such time as you need to cut the leaves from the rhubarb stalks.:-))