Recipe for beeswax coating for fruit and veg.

[Wilco]

I rather prefer rhubarb crumble ... I can start around May with the first few forced stems and with care on established plants still pick a few stems in August. I grow three known varieties - Timporley early, Victoria and Champagne - plus an unknown root that was my Dads rhubarb and which came from my grandad's allotment so it's been split more times than I can count - with these I have rhubarb right the way through the spring and summer. Outside of that - there's always enough stems to put some in the freezer for a winter treat.

You can also preserve it cooked with sugar ... not to the point where it is pulp but at the point of boil. Put it into sterilised Kilner jars and store in a cool dark place.

Much better than to polish it in a corner ...

I harvest mine in bulk then stew it before putting it into a dishwasher (EDIT: dish!!!! Thwarted by autoincorrect again) I use for crumble and freezing it. Once frozen I turn it out of the dish and wrap in baking parchment, refill the dish and freeze another etc.. This means I have a stack of prepped slabs the right size in the freezer so can do a crumble through the year at short notice, they are very space efficient and the dish isn't left in the freezer.

 

[rolande]

I harvest mine in bulk then stew it before putting it into a dishwasher I use for crumble and freezing it. Once frozen I turn it out of the dish and wrap in baking parchment, refill the dish and freeze another etc.. This means I have a stack of prepped slabs the right size in the freezer so can do a crumble through the year at short notice, they are very space efficient and the dish isn't left in the freezer.

This post beats the original post, something I didn't expect to see in the same thread!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Definitely for preserving

Stan and I force our rhubarb. Can't abide the dark tough stalks so the whole crop comes off in a week or so. I cook it slowly as you would to make a crumble then freeze it in small portions. I have it on porridge and It freezes well enough to crumble later in the year if you make the crumbs separately.
Preserving it with wax sounds daft. Won't it just rot inside?

 

[E&MBees]

I harvest mine in bulk then stew it before putting it into a dishwasher I use for crumble and freezing it. Once frozen I turn it out of the dish and wrap in baking parchment, refill the dish and freeze another etc.. This means I have a stack of prepped slabs the right size in the freezer so can do a crumble through the year at short notice, they are very space efficient and the dish isn't left in the freezer.

That’s a mighty big crumble if you are freezing a dishwasher sized portion!!

 

[Curly green finger's]

I use mine to make rhubarb tart - not to use as a table decoration

Stan and I force our rhubarb. Can't abide the dark tough stalks so the whole crop comes off in a week or so. I cook it slowly as you would to make a crumble then freeze it in small portions. I have it on porridge and It freezes well enough to crumble later in the year if you make the crumbs separately.
Preserving it with wax sounds daft. Won't it just rot inside?

The wax would be used to shine it up,make it look more presentable, and forced rhubarb never tastes the same and sugar content is no way near as high as rhubarb grown unforced.
We are growing 15 different varieties early and later types.
Also have 3/4 of an acre of runner beans going in shortly if the weather allows us to get out in the field.

 

[pargyle]

The wax would be used to shine it up,make it look more presentable, and forced rhubarb never tastes the same and sugar content is no way near as high as rhubarb grown unforced.
We are growing 15 different varieties early and later types.
Also have 3/4 of an acre of runner beans going in shortly if the weather allows us to get out in the field.

Look up the Rhubarb triangle on Google ... all forced in sheds lit with candles - if Rhubarb was lager then this would probably be the best tasting rhubarb in the world ! And they don't polish it !

 

[JamezF]

Look up the Rhubarb triangle on Google ... all forced in sheds lit with candles - if Rhubarb was lager then this would probably be the best tasting rhubarb in the world ! And they don't polish it !

If that were true then no-one would bother growing their own

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

forced rhubarb never tastes the same and sugar content is no way near as high as rhubarb grown unforced.

I didn’t know that. Thanks

 

[pargyle]

If that were true then no-one would bother growing their own

James

It is very nice rhubarb - although I also like my home grown rhubarb - forced and later in the season. Unfortunately, Mark is wrong about forced rhubarb - it's actually sweeter and less acidic than stalks later in the season that are not forced:

https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/forcing-rhubarb/

 

[Erichalfbee]

It is very nice rhubarb - although I also like my home grown rhubarb - forced and later in the season. Unfortunately, Mark is wrong about forced rhubarb - it's actually sweeter and less acidic than stalks later in the season that are not forced:

That explains why people bother to force it.

 

[rolande]

Evening I’m looking into how I could process beeswax and use it to shine up rhubarb.
Thanks

Well, my initial scepticism has just evaporated after a quick net search for wax preserving of fruit.

 

[Aneebe]

I harvest mine in bulk then stew it before putting it into a dishwasher (EDIT: dish!!!! Thwarted by autoincorrect again) I use for crumble and freezing it. Once frozen I turn it out of the dish and wrap in baking parchment, refill the dish and freeze another etc.. This means I have a stack of prepped slabs the right size in the freezer so can do a crumble through the year at short notice, they are very space efficient and the dish isn't left in the freezer.

Top tip. I've a teeny freezer and loads of rhubarb so I'll give this a go. Thank you.

 

[Antipodes]

Well, my initial scepticism has just evaporated after a quick net search for wax preserving of fruit.

Very popular here.
https://apal.org.au/apples-wax/

 

[JamezF]

Very popular here.
https://apal.org.au/apples-wax/

Some of the photos of waxed apples in that article make them look so unnatural that I wouldn't want to buy them I guess it's just what you're used to.

Of course, lemons are regularly sold in the UK with a coat of wax. I can't be bothered to check right now, but I believe it's more expensive to buy them without.

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

why don't you just save yourself the bother and varnish the bloody things as you are hellbent on ruining the stuff anyway.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Well, my initial scepticism has just evaporated after a quick net search for wax preserving of fruit.

just because it's on the internet, doesn't mean it's the right thing for sensible people to do.

 

[rolande]

just because it's on the internet, doesn't mean it's the right thing for sensible people to do.

Well I'm neither qualified or interested in judging who's sensible or not. Plenty of room for everyone.

 

[ldwgs]

Evening I’m looking into how I could process beeswax and use it to shine up rhubarb.
Thanks

why? not sure of any reason to make shiny rhubarb.

 

[pargyle]

A little boy goes up to Old Tom the gardener and says, ‘What do you put on your rhubarb?'
‘Well, usually rotted horse manure,' replies Old Ned.
‘We have custard on ours.' says the little boy.