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  • From: nottke1 <nottke1@earthlink.net>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Re - Rhubarb
  • Date: Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:25:07 -0500 (EST)

Clifford, - Thank you for taking the time to tell us the UK rhubarb story!!
Jim Nottke

-----Original Message-----
>From: Clifford Cain - uk yahoo <cc_syorks@yahoo.co.uk>
>Sent: Dec 14, 2009 11:50 AM
>To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
>Subject: [NAFEX] Re - Rhubarb
>
>As the current thread is under way - just thought I would interject with
>a little background on Rhubarb growing here in the UK and how our
>warming climate is impacting upon its commercial production.
>I am in the county (equivalent of State in USA) of Yorkshire where the
>Rhubarb Triangle can be found. This is an area between the cities of
>Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield where rhubarb was widely grown
>commercially, producing forced rhubarb since Victorian times when the
>medicinal benefits of Rhubarb became prominent. Forced rhubarb lacks the
>acidity of green rhubarb, green referring to being grown outside rather
>than the colour of the stalk in this instance. A collection of over120
>cultivars was established at Harlow Carr Gardens and formed the national
>collection. Since the RHS took over the gardens they moved the
>collection south to Wisley which is a shame because the reason Yorkshire
>grows so much rhubarb is due to the winter cold. The crowns would be
>grown in the fields and fertilised with shoddy, waste from the wool
>mills , a traditional industry now as good as extinct in the area, which
>would provide nitrogen. Coal mining was another traditional industry
>from which slag was used as a fertiliser. The soils of the area are
>clay based and receive around 300mm winter rain.


Jim Nottke
Pfafftown, NC




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