CAWOOD DELIGHT rhubarb

Characteristics of Cawood Delight

• Dark red stems, often red to the tip.
• Stems slightly thicker than some varieties, fairly firm texture.
• Sweet, fairly pleasant taste—good variety for desserts, preserves, pies, etc.
• Hardy: tolerates cold climates well, Canadian hardiness zone ~ Zone 3.
• Growth not as vigorous as some varieties such as ‘MacDonald’ (less “fast” or less invasive) .
• It excels in northern or temperate regions rather than in areas with prolonged high heat. Basically, if you have very hot summers, it may “suffer” a little.

Advantages

• Aesthetics: the red stems are very pretty, even after cooking in certain preparations — this can make for very colorful dishes.
• Cooking quality: pleasant flavor, fairly good texture for pies, compotes, jams, etc.
• Good cold resistance: one of the varieties best suited to harsher climates. Useful if you live in a cold area or have harsh winters.
• Relatively rare variety: some say that its plants are harder to find than other varieties.

What to watch out for / Disadvantages

• Less vigorous: it does not “grow” as quickly or strongly as varieties such as MacDonald, so it may take longer to fill the space or produce a large harvest.
• Heat: in areas with long periods of very hot temperatures, the stems may “suffer” and growth may be poorer.
• Initial production: Some sellers mention that there is a light harvest in the second year, and that it takes until the third year for full production.