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Probably everyone has been familiar with an unusual garden plant since childhood, its foliage reminiscent of burdock. But unlike wild burdock, it is eaten. A simple appearance and a pleasant sour taste are the peculiarities of rhubarb. And increasingly today, gardeners are planting it on their plots. But they are concerned not only with the rules of cultivation, but also with the collection of rhubarb itself. After all, such a plant has its own characteristics that should be observed when collecting it for food or for medicinal purposes.
When can you collect rhubarb petioles?
In the last month of spring, in May, rhubarb begins to grow from the ground. At this moment, its petioles are very thin and fragile, holding young leaves. They are quite long and have a pink tint. It is at this time that rhubarb should be collected for food.
The young petioles of this plant contain a sufficient amount of useful microelements, including organic acids. Moreover, they are used not only for food, but also for medicinal purposes. But if we talk about using it in cooking, the petioles can be consumed raw or cooked. There are a large number of recipes, for example, jam, jelly and even baking.
How to properly collect rhubarb petioles
In order for rhubarb petioles to have all the taste when harvested, to be useful for humans, and at the same time, harvesting does not cause harm to the plant, some rules should be followed:
- The basic rule for collecting is to choose a young plant. The petioles should be tender, quite fragile and quite juicy. Therefore, collection should be carried out in May and during re-growth, which occurs in mid-July. Edible petioles are those that have a length of 20 to 80 cm, and their width should be no more than 1.5 cm.
- The petiole should be torn off at the very base; do not break it. It is necessary to tear off smoothly, without sudden movements, carefully grasping the base and twisting slightly. If there are difficulties in this process, then you can carefully cut the petiole to the very base.
- It is strictly not recommended to collect all the rhubarb leaves, as the plant may die. For normal growth and development, 5-6 leaves should be left, two of which should be young.
- You cannot collect rhubarb petioles for food when it is in flower. Therefore, to increase the harvest time, you can remove the stems of the peduncle.
When to Harvest Rhubarb Root
Quite often, rhubarb roots are used for medicinal purposes. Harvesting rhubarb roots should be done in the spring before shoots appear, or in late autumn, when, on the contrary, all the leaves have already died.The process of leaf dying occurs from September to October. It is during this period that digging up a root for a plant will be a less traumatic process.
For what purposes are rhubarb roots collected?
Rhubarb root has long been used as an excellent therapeutic and preventive natural remedy, which has a mild laxative effect, helps get rid of toxins and helps normalize the gastrointestinal tract.
Due to the content of anthraglycosides in the root, it is used for the following purposes:
- to increase appetite and normalize the gastrointestinal tract;
- for constipation;
- to cleanse the body of toxins, biological poisons and fats;
- to combat excess weight;
- to suppress depression;
- to speed up the recovery process after fractures;
- for arthritis;
- for the treatment of hepatitis and other liver diseases;
- to prevent the occurrence of cancer.
Sometimes rhubarb root is recommended for use during menopause.
But it is worth understanding that the root has different effects on the body depending on what remedy is used. For example:
- In liquid form, rhubarb extract obtained from its root is used as a laxative. But in small quantities in tablet form, this extract can have the opposite effect, acting on the body as a fixative.
- A tincture of the root in vinegar helps in the treatment of serious diseases such as vitiligo or psoriasis.
- An infusion of root powder with water helps in treating the liver, having a choleretic effect.
- Grated fresh root helps in caring for the skin of the hands and face.
- Using a decoction of the root, you can prepare a healing hair dye that will strengthen and heal your hair.
How to collect correctly
There are no special instructions for collecting rhubarb roots; the basic rule for digging is minimal damage to the plant. To do this, you need to dig it out from the very edge of the bush so as not to deform the entire root system.
The dug root must be thoroughly cleaned from the ground, the petioles, lateral and small roots must be cut off from it. Afterwards it is thoroughly washed under cold running water and laid out in a sunny place to dry.
How to dry and store
Collected and dried rhubarb root can be used raw or dried. When dried, the shelf life of rhubarb root increases to 3 years without losing its medicinal properties.
Drying must be done in a well-ventilated area in the open air. You can also perform this process using an electric dryer at a temperature of 50-60 degrees. Properly dried roots should be very light and fragile.
Store them in a cool, dry place. This can be done in wooden, cardboard or fabric containers. The main requirement during storage is maintaining a constant level of humidity so that the product does not become damp.
Conclusion
Rhubarb can be harvested for a variety of purposes. But it is imperative to follow the rules for collecting both the petioles and roots of this plant so that the harvest brings only benefits.
