Forced rhubarb, which is made to mature in near total darkness, grows at such an alarming rate—as much as an inch a day—that it actually makes squeaks, creaks, and pops as it gets bigger. It makes for sweeter rhubarb, growers say, and sick beats.
I had no idea. I don’t care for rhubarb much, but this is fascinating, and you can read all about it at Atlas Obscura.
I have rhubarb and mine grows at an alarming rate even in the daylight. I’ve never heard it make noise though! I shall have to pay more attention!
I have no rhubarb anymore, because it was not worth the hassle. But when I had rhubarb, it grew pretty fast. But I was not listening.
Bamboo growst too pretty fast and makes noises.
Would a cross between a rhubarba and a bamboo grow even faster? The fastest growing plant -- Rhamboo.
I will show myself out.
Where do you find this stuff!?
Charly:
:Laughs: But only in the dark!
Raucous Indignation:
There’s a link, that’s where it’s from.
The area that specialises in forced rhubarb happens to be three sided, so is known as the Rhubarb Triangle …
Lots of ordinary things make noises, once you take away the overwhelming racket of human industrial activity. Mind you, my tinnitus (from human industrial activity) would still drown everything out.
Yeah, I know, I see the link. I mean how do you always find this amount of amazing content? I never find wonderful stuff like that when I’m surfing the web.
It takes time, you just have to do it. I have a list of places I check on a regular basis, there’s usually something somewhere.
Lofty:
That’s true, but this is on the special side. From what the article said, much of the sound is the rhubarb impacting against other plants as they grow, it seems they are packed in extremely tight in forced growing, there’s no space between the plants.
The rhubarb in our garden has been there for over fifty years.
We’ve never done anything to it or for it, other than eat it.
Totally hassle-free.
When I moved the lovage out of the herb-bed, I put it beside the rhubarb.
They seem to get along.
Oh, that was good! But if you can’t see it, and no one’s around to hear it grow, how will we know when to turn the light on and stop the process??
I will listen to the video once I get home (we have a working Saturday this week), but I will say this for rhubarb: if you need to make a cake or a pie and it is not yet apple season, rhubarb is the best substitute you could ever want. Also I once made an interesting yet delicious jam from rhubarb and green melon and rosemary.