The Rhubarb Plant That Crossed an Ocean
A spring story, a family memory, and a few favorite ways to use rhubarb.
A few years ago, while researching one side of my family — German families who had lived in Russia before immigrating to the United States — I met an older couple tracing a similar path in their own history.
It was spring, and somewhere in the conversation, the woman mentioned that she had a rhubarb plant in her garden, passed down from her great-grandmother, who had brought it from Russia to Washington State on a ship in the early 1900s.
What stayed with me was not only that the plant had survived, but that her great-grandchild was still making pies from it. Until then, I hadn’t realized how enduring rhubarb could be. But even more than that, I was struck by what it meant: a plant carried across continents, tended through generations, and still part of family life all those years later.
Ever since, rhubarb has felt to me like more than a spring ingredient. It’s tart and bright and old-fashioned, yes — perfect for pies and cakes — but it also seems to carry something of a memory with it.
Rhubarb always feels like one of the true arrivals of spring.
Not just because of its color — those rosy, ruby stalks are hard to miss — but because it seems to appear just as the season begins to soften. When I see it at the market, I start thinking about simple cakes, old-fashioned pies, and the kinds of desserts that feel especially right this time of year.
Rhubarb is famously tart, of course. It’s not the sort of ingredient that wins you over with sweetness. But that sharpness is exactly its charm. Baked with sugar, tucked into a cake, or simmered into a sauce, it becomes something bright, nostalgic, and beautifully springlike.
Most often, rhubarb is paired with strawberries, and for good reason. The sweet berries and tangy rhubarb balance each other so well. But it’s lovely with orange, ginger, vanilla, and even apples, too.
If you’re new to rhubarb, the basic prep is simple: trim the stalks, discard the leaves as they are toxic, wash the stalks well, and chop. From there, it can go into pies, cakes, muffins, crisps, and quick sauces for spooning over yogurt or dessert. The season is short, which makes it feel even more worth noticing.
Rhubarb Recipes
If rhubarb has been catching your eye lately, here are a few recipes from 31Daily to try first:
There’s something about rhubarb that always feels a little old-fashioned in the best way — familiar, homey, and tied to the rhythms of spring. And every year, I’m happy to see it return.
If you’re baking with rhubarb this season, I’d love to know what you make first.
Stephanie
At the Table