No,no Kate, the berries are the most poisonous part. People eat the young leaves. They boil them in water, drain the water to remove the poison then boil them again. Birds love the berries they are not toxic to the birds.
Strawberry and rhubarb just seem to be made for each other, and even though plain rhubarb pie is delicious, I do prefer the strawberry rhubarb pie. The two flavors just seem to enhance each other. I also used to make strawberry rhubarb jam, and that might be my most favorite jam ever. There is an easy freezer jam recipe that worked for us, because I didn't make large quantities, just a jar or two now and then because we don't eat much toast and jam. To make the freezer jam, you just chop up the rhubarb, and cook it with the strawberries and some sugar/sweetener to taste. Then you mix in a large package of strawberry jello, and put it in jars to cool. It will keep quite a while in the refrigerator, or you can put it in the plastic freezer containers and freeze it. If you like jam, and don't want to actually can it, then this is quick, easy, and delicious. Actually, you don't even need strawberries to make this as long as you are using the strawberry jello. There are a multitude of recipes for making this jam online, with different variations.
It looks like at least one of the rhubarbs that I planted last year made it through the winter, as it is showing some color. I don't know about the others yet.
Without close examination, it doesn't look like much is going on in the rhubarb patch. But, there are a couple of leaves coming up from this one, which is one I planted last year. This is one that I planted this year. This one is from last year too. There's one with a leaf, and another, behind and to the right of it, that doesn't have anything going on yet. The one with the leaf is from last year, the other one is new. Looking closer, it looks like one is leafing out between two root stocks that don't have anything going on yet.
I have a large patch of rhubarb. Most of it just goes to seed.. I may bake a strawberry rhubarb pie or a rhubarb oatmeal crisp one a year of so.. but I'm not a huge sweet eater.. and my baking skills leave a lot to be desired.
My rhubarb actually made it through the winter, poked up one itty-bitty leaf, and then just disappeared. I have tried it at several different locations around the house, trying to find a spot that is cool enough in the heat of summer, and yet gets enough sunlight to grow. Actually, the best luck I had with rhubarb was when I had it growing in a container, and I brought it in and out of the house, so it got morning sun, and was inside in the heat of summer. I might have to try that again. Your rhubarb is looking great, @Ken Anderson, and I am envious !
I prefer rhubarb pie with much less sugar than most people use, and it's good with strawberries as well. Rhubarb usually does very well once a patch of it is established but getting it to that point seems to be a problem.
Try putting a little acid type furtilizer on it. Or you could dig in used coffee grounds or use a pine needle mulch
Coffee grounds I've used. I don't want to add fertilizer because they are too close to the lingonberries and I don't want any of it to leach into the lingonberry patch, since fertilizer is apt to kill lingonberries.
I haven't had rhubarb outside perhaps a store bought pie for many years. My mother either grew it or it grew wild outside our house when I was a little kid. That was in NW Pennsylvania though where I think the weather was more suited to it. I am not sure if it grows here in Virginia, if it does, it is likely in the mountains where it is cool a good bit of the time. They do some maple sugaring there, which I think is the most Southern location it is done.
I bought a couple more 3-packs of rhubarb because they were on clearance from the Tractor Supply Company today. I know the instructions say to plant them three feet apart but the ones that I planted three feet apart last year never accomplished anything. They would sprout leaves, and then the leaves and stem would wither. Three feet seems a bit far, considering that the ones we had at our house growing up were all clumped together and they did great. So I planted these a little closer together, to fit them in.
I hope they do well for you. I've tried a couple time and not had them turn out. I think Tn is the wrong climate for them.
Tennessee might be a little warm for rhubarb. I think they do better in colder climates. They should do well in Maine because the climate here is much the same as in the UP of Michigan, and I know they do well there. It seems that it's hard to get a patch of rhubarb started but that they will pretty much take care of themselves once they're established.
All of my rhubarb is growing now. Hopefully, these will carry over the winter, so that I won't have to plant new stuff in the spring.