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February rhubarb festival

Feature

The month of February is the shortest of the year, and one of the coldest and most miserable. Thankfully, good old fashioned rhubarb crumble can bring a much needed bit of warmth and comfort.

February is the season of forced rhubarb, grown by candlelight in dark sheds dotted around the Yorkshire Rhubarb Triangle of Wakefield, Leeds and Morley. Only a few decades ago, over 90 per cent of the world’s forced rhubarb crops were grown in this small area.

Forced rhubarb, which is crimson pink in colour, is much more tender than summer varieties grown outdoors. Without daylight, the rhubarb rapidly grows to 2ft-long in search of light. The pickers must harvest the stalks in near-complete darkness as any exposure to light will stop the growth of all the rhubarb in the shed. By the end of March the harvest is over.

Every February, the Wakefield Festival of Food, Drink & Rhubarb celebrates the attributes of forced rhubarb. Between 12 and 18 February, you can choose to enjoy a rhubarb farmers’ market, sample rhubarb dishes and take part in cookery demonstrations in the city centre and you can take a tour of the rhubarb forcing sheds. The 2007 festival brochure can be mailed to you by calling the Tourist Information Centre on 0845 6018353.
The first tender British rhubarb stems, fresh from the forcing sheds, arrive in the supermarkets in February. They are tart and tangy in flavour with the pink adding a splash of vibrant colour to the winter months. By the summer, rhubarb becomes stringier and much darker in colour, deepening to maroon and becoming even sharper in flavour. For the famous rhubarb crumble, you can’t beat forced rhubarb for flavour and texture.
When buying your rhubarb this February, choose firm stems with fresh leaves. Before cooking, trim the base and poisonous leafy tops. Forced rhubarb shouldn’t need scraping as they are young and tender.

For a modern twist to the classic rhubarb crumble, try this winter warming ginger and rhubarb crumble by BBC’s Saturday Kitchen chef James Martin.


Ginger and rhubarb crumble (serves 4-6 people)

Ingredients for rhubarb mixture: 10 rhubarb stalks, trimmed and sliced into 5cm chunks; 1 tbsp water; 2-3 tbsp caster sugar; 1 tbsp chopped stem ginger in syrup.

Ingredients for the crumble: 100g butter, softened; 100g demerara sugar; 180-200g plain flour.

Method: Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Place the rhubarb chunks in a shallow roasting pan, sprinkle with the water and 2-3 tablespoons of caster sugar. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the ginger. Reduce the oven temperature to 190 °C. Tip the rhubarb mixture into a baking dish about 4cm deep.

To make the crumble, combine the butter, sugar and flour in a bowl. Rub with your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the rhubarb. Bake for 10 minutes until golden brown.

Allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve with ice-cream or double cream. Alternatively, opt for the classic rhubarb and custard pairing.

Picture caption: Warm up February with a dose or two of forced rhubarb crumble.
MyVillage 08th January




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