A rhubarb mad farmer who supplies the nations largest supermarkets including Sainsburys, Waitrose, and Booths describes the commercial process of preparing the vegetable for consumers.
Janet Oldroyd, 72, is one of five generations of farmers who have worked the fields producing the vegetable.
She is a director of E Oldroyd & Sons, is one of the nine family owned business based in the nine sq mile area found between Leeds, Wakefield and Bradford known as the rhubarb triangle.
From humble beginnings with her great grandfather, growing and selling at their local market it has grown to now supplying some of the UK’s largest supermarkets including Sainsburys, Waitrose, and Booths.
The family produce over 200 tones of rhubarb in a year.
“That is millions upon millions of sticks”, said Janet.
Janet says the rhubarb is “grown in the fields for over a three year period” to “build up energy and nutrients” before being harvested and placed in the sheds for the final step known as the ‘forcing’.
In the sheds the rhubarb is packed tightly in rows and placed on compact soil allowing for water to be drained soaked away when watered using a mist irrigation system.
Using all the saved up nutrients and energy from the growing season, they are washing down and left in complete darkness to grow, sometimes, up to and inch a day.
Janet said: “You can hear creeks and pops as the plant is growing.
“The reason why it is growing so rapidly is because it is searching for light which it uses to produce energy, but of course there isn’t any.”
Janet says the process is similar to the human body, she said: “When we stop eating we change to energy reserve, the same thing happens in the plant.”
Conditions in then sheds are warm and moist allowing the vegetable to grow.
“It is like a warm summers day in there with the temperatures ranging from 20°c to 30°c depending on the how the plant is doing”, said Janet.
Farmers use candles when harvesting to prevent disturbing the forcing process as anything brighter could cause the yield to be ruined.
The rhubarb is left in the “sheds for up to 5 weeks” before it is removed, packaged and shipped to customers.
“It’s nice and cozy in there when you are harvesting which is always nice in the winter months”, said Janet.
Good rhubarb has a “light pink and red colour” and is “firm but not tough”.
Janet’s rhubarb is also used in household items like soap and handwash alongside alcoholic beverages including gin, vodka, and cello.
She said: “There are so many different ways rhubarb is included in so many different items you would have never even known.”
