It's the time of year that beautiful deep pink stalks of rhubarb shoot out of the ground and take over the vegetable patch. I'm a huge fan and it evokes strong childhood memories but recently I've learnt that I've missed out on something special. Dare I confess that I have never sneaked into the garden with a bowl of sugar, picked a stem of rhubarb and dipped it in the sugar?
I've watched a number of cooking and gardening programmes where the presenter has revelled in the ecstasy of the tangy, sour rhubarb and sweet crystals of sugar, chanced in the hidden depths of the vegetable patch. When a neighbour offered me some of her excess rhubarb I accepted enthusiastically. You can imagine the children's delight when I appeared from the kitchen with a bowl of sugar.
Suffice to say it was delicious, an easy way to get the children to eat one of their 'five-a-day', though I don't think the dentist would be too impressed!
Years ago, in my grandmothers garden, I would pick the stalk and bring it in to be trimmed and washed then have it with salt...I was an odd child.
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