There is a golden triangle in Yorkshire that has gained notoriety but not for the same reasons as you expect from the Asian Golden Triangle!This 9 square mile plot is found between Wakefield, Morley and Rothwell and as it is located in the shadows of the Pennines the frosts, water and shadow that the plant requires to thrive proves ideal spot, forcing rhubarb is quite labour intensive and the process has hardly changed in the 200 years that the industry has been in existence.
To force rhubarb it is first grown outside for about 2 years, there it stores its energy in its roots and is then exposed to a frost and the entire plant is then lifted out of the ground and placed on the floor inside a warm, dark forcing shed. The sheds have no soil in them so the plant is forced to use the energy reserves it has stored in its roots to grow the stems, the dark and warmth encourages this growth, the result of the forcing process gives the rhubarb a much more tender and sweeter product than that of one grown outside .
It is said that as the plants grow so quickly that you can actually hear the buds popping, there is a rhubarb grower where you can take a tour of the forcing sheds and the candlelit rhubarb really is a sight to behold. Click on the link to visit Janet Oldroyd’s website, she is a renowned grower and tours can be arranged to their premises in Rothwell.
It is only an hours drive to Rothwell, so why not treat yourself to a few days away, here at Valley View Farm Cottages.
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