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Learn to make the most of your backyard rhubarb harvest

Jun 8, 2009

OLEAN, N.Y., June 8, 2009 – If eating locally grown food is fashionable, you’ve been in style for about as long as you’ve been eating the rhubarb from your own backyard.

The experts at CUTCO Cutlery, the largest manufacturer of high-quality kitchen cutlery in North America, are here with great tips, links to recipes and proper cutlery choices to make the most of your backyard (or farmers market) rhubarb harvest.

 

“I remember having rhubarb growing wild in the backyard of our upstate New York home when I was growing up,” said Kathleen Donovan, Coordinator of Public Relations for CUTCO. “When my mother would go out and pick the stalks, I knew that a tart and delicious pie was inevitable.”

 

The tart, celery-like stalks of this easy-to-grow perennial vegetable are delicious in sauces, jams and pies, especially when paired with another late spring favorite, strawberries. According to the horticulture experts at Cornell Cooperative Extension (www.gardening.cornell.edu), rhubarb’s growing season is long and varied – April through September and it’s hardy in zones 3 through 8.

 

(IMPORTANT NOTE: The National Poison Control Center reports that the plant’s broad, greenish leaves are poisonous. While deaths from ingesting the leaves have been reported, they are rare. Eat the stalks only!)

 

Here are a few essential tools you’ll need to prepare rhubarb: 

  • A utility knife, like the CUTCO Trimmer to remove the leaves.
  • A paring knife.
  • Vegetable peeler, to remove discolored or damaged spots on the stalk.
  • A santoku or chef knife to cut rhubarb into cubes before cooking it down.
  • A potato masher to reduce the cooked rhubarb into sauce.

 

Here are some helpful rhubarb tips: 

  • Rhubarb is highly perishable, store fresh rhubarb in a tightly wrapped plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to three days.
  • To prepare rhubarb, remove all leaves and wash and trim the stems.
  • Try rhubarb sauce as a topping for ice cream or yogurt.
  • The sweetest stalks are the ones that are thinner and bright red.
  • One pound of raw rhubarb will yield about three cups of chopped raw fruit or two cups
    chopped, cooked fruit.

 

CUTCO, celebrating its 60th anniversary, is the largest manufacturer and marketer of high-quality kitchen cutlery and accessories in the United States and Canada. Sharpness, durability, efficiency and comfort are keys to CUTCO’s reputation. The cutlery features state-of-the-art design that includes high-carbon, stain-resistant steel blades, Double D® “stay-sharp” recessed edges and award-winning ergonomic handles. All CUTCO products are marketed directly to consumers and are backed by the company’s Forever Guarantee which ensures that CUTCO’s cutlery stays within families for generations. CUTCO is a proud supporter of the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement. For more information about CUTCO, please call toll free (800) 828-0448 or visit www.CUTCO.com.