Deliciously sweet, and tart Rhubarb Crumble Slice with hidden garden greens. This gooey-centered slice is easy to make and will make a yummy dessert or sweet treat for lunches.
Rhubarb Crumble Slice
Yield: 12- 15 slices
Delicious sweet and tart slice with refreshing hints of lemon. An easy snack for lunches or serve with yogurt or icecream for a yummy dessert!
Ingredients
Crumble / base
1 1/2 Cups Rolled Oats
1 3/4 Cups Plain Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Lemon Zest
1/2 cup Melted Butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP Pureed Spinach Greens (1 1/2 cup fresh greens)*
Rhubarb Filling
2 Cups Chopped Rhubarb (2cm chunks)
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 TBSP Cornflour
3/4 Cup Water
3 TBSP Fresh Lemon Juice
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180degrees Celcius. Grease a 25cm square dish.
Add all the filling ingredients into a saucepan on medium-low heat until the Rhubarb has softened. Add a little extra water if it is too thick. You want it to be thick but still be able to roll off the spoon.
Allow to cool while you prep the base.
Mix together all the dry ingredients for the crumble. Add in the melted butter and greens. (You can skip the greens and add an extra TSPB of butter).
Press 3/4 of the mixture into the dish to form the base. Bake for 10 minutes and remove from the oven.
Pour over the filling and sprinkle the remaining crumble on top.
Bake for 30-40minutes until slightly golden.
Grate extra lemon zest on top to serve.
Notes
*Blanch greens such as spinach or chard leaves, blitz to puree, and add into crumble for added nutrition.
Rhubarb (Rhubarb rharbarmarum) is a long-living herbaceous perennial. Rhubarb is a hardy cold tolerant plant and many varieties have beautiful red stems to bring colour and aesthetics to your garden. Older heritage varieties can be saved for 100s of years and passed down through generations.
Rhubarb stems are the edible part of the plant and the leaves are poisonous. It is easy to grow and is often left alone by pests so it makes the perfect addition to a low-maintenance section of the garden.
Benefits from regular compost and natural fertilizers.
PESTS
Slaters, slugs, aphids, snails, and green caterpillars.
HARVEST
Harvest once established (1 year at least). Pull outer stalks rather than cutting.
REPRODUCE
Rhubarb can be split from the crown to reproduce. Seeds can also be collected from mature plants.
Why Grow Rhubarb?
Rhubarb is an edible that is easy to grow and looks beautiful and ornamental in the garden.
Here are some of the many reasons to grow Rhubarb:
Easy to grow
Delicious for baking
Low maintenance
Jams and preserves
Cold tolerant
Less susceptible to pests
Visual Aesthetics
Anti-inflammatory
High in vitamin K
Leaves can be used to make natural insecticides.
Popular Rhubarb Varieties
‘Victoria’ – Oldest heirloom variety. Produces large pinkish-red stalks.
‘Winter wonders’ – Stems are green in summer and red in winter. Cold tolerant that produces after many other varieties have gone dormant.
‘Ever Red‘ – Year-round producing. Stalks remain red all year round.
‘Wandin Red‘ – Hardy year-round producing rhubarb with red stalks.
‘Next Generation‘ – Hybrid with bright red stalks. Easy to grow all year round.
When to Plant Rhubarb
Rhubarb is best planted from Autumn to Spring. Plants can go dormant during winter in very cold locations.
How to Grow Rhubarb
Choose a sunny location that will be available as a long-term home for the Rhubarb. Rhubarb will need a bit of space so choose a location that is roughly 1m per plant although you can plant multiple plants a little closer. Rhubarb can overshadow surrounding plants.
Dig in compost and composted manure to feed the soil.
Plant roots or seedlings at least 0.5m apart as the leaves will grow large. If planting from a root ball ensure the eye or parts where the leaves will come out from is just above the surface.
Add mulch to keep retain moisture.
Care/ Maintenance
For abundant harvests, you can feed Rhubarb every 2-3 weeks with liquid fertilizer over Spring and Summer. Rhubarb may go dormant over winter so you can stop feeding and stop harvesting. Mature Rhubarb plants may send up large flowers on a stalk. These suck all the plant energy and as Rhubarb is easily propagated from splitting the plant the seeds are not really necessary. Rhubarb seeds will not grow true to type so the results may be varied. It is recommended to cut the flower off as you see it forming (unless you want to try and save the seeds).
The best time to harvest Rhubarb is once the plants are mature enough to support their growth and can handle having stems removed. This is usually best to wait 1 year after planting. Remove one or two outer stalks from each plant. Hold the stalk near the base and gently pull and twist to remove the stalk. Do not cut the stalks as the small remaining piece may rot and cause disease to the plant. Remove the leaves as just the stalk is edible.
Reproducing
Wait until the plants are mature and have many stalkings forming from the main crown. It is best to split the plants every 3-4 years to reset and renew the plant. Split your Rhubarb in early Spring before the new growth has started. Dig up the whole plant and using a clean, sharp knife cut the main root ball into sections. Ensure each section has at least one bud or point where new leaves will form from. Place the root sections back in the soil to regrow new plants.
Cooking and Using Rhubarb
Rhubarb stalks can be eaten raw or used in baking.
