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Champagne Rhubarb is another man-made variety of produce on our grocery shelves. Or rather, it's more a technique than a variety. Someone probably left a wheelbarrow tipped over a rhubarb patch (warning: pure speculation here), got shouted at by the wife in the spring, moved it and found that the stalks underneath that had received only a bit of light turned out less tart and less fibrous, lighter in colour (a very pale pink), and more delicate overall -- hence the name "champagne".
If you have your rhubarb in your garden, you can try it. Just as the rhubarb starts to poke its head above the ground, you cover it with something tall -- an upside down bucket, a terra-cotta chimney pot, old bin, etc, and allow just a bit of light to get in. Shading the plant stalks from the light stops stalks from becoming tart, and also for some reason causes them to be ready earlier.
In Wakefield, Yorkshire, England, producing Champagne Rhubarb has become a great industry. The Rhubarb is grown in darkness in long, low "forcing-sheds", and is even harvested by candlelight. It's started outside in the cold, then moved into the warmer sheds which fools the Rhubarb into thinking that spring has arrived.
There is also a variety that gardeners can buy called Champagne Rhubarb -- it is ready to harvest early, has green stalks when it is ready, and tastes surprisingly like gooseberries.
In England, Champagne Rhubarb first comes on the market at the end of December and is available until around the end of March.
Choose thin, pale pink stalks with no bruising or green shading on them at all. They may have small, yellow leaves on them trying to sprout.
Cooking Tips
Champagne Rhubarb needs only very light cooking, but because it is still quite tart, always needs a healthy dose of sweetening. As with all rhubarb, discard the leaves, as they are very poisonous.
History
Yorkshire's "Pink Triangle" production area for forced rhubarb applied for PGI status for its rhubarb in March 2006.
Also called:  Forced Rhubarb
Winter Rhubarb
See Also
Etiolation, Protected Geographic Indication
Other entries for Rhubarb
Champagne Rhubarb, Rhubarb
Other entries for Fruit
Bananas, Bletting, Candied Fruit, Citrus Fruit, Dried Fruit, Drupes, Hard Fruit, Olives, Soft Fruit
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