I need a lot of rhubarb

[pointybird]

I am hungering to make strawberry-rhubarb jam, and I need pounds and pounds of rhubarb. I found some yesterday at Bryan's in Laurel Village for $5 a pound, so I bought enough to bake a pie (1.5 pounds of rhubarb, 1.5 pounds of strawberries, man, that's an expensive pie!), but I can't justify buying enough to make jam at that price.

Anyone know which of the local farmer's markets might carry it? Or a store that has it cheaper than Bryan's? I was going to try the Civic Center market tomorrow, but I can't hit all the markets that happen this weekend, there are just too many! Any tips?

Just as an aside, I also tried the Cook's Illustrated all-butter piecrust recipe, the one that uses vodka, only I didn't have vodka in the house, all I had was tequila. Worked great and was so pliable, my three year old managed to roll out a serviceable crust with minimal help.

[Ruth Lafler]

Someone asked this question in January -- maybe this will help: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/589091

[Jumbo_Jack]

I love Rhubarb, but If you want Rhubarb in quantity, or most any other produce, you must eschew the local farmer's markets, and go where everyone else buys in bulk: The Oakland Wholesale Produce Market.

The local farmer's market is a bit of food theater these days, and specializes in fairly diverse but low volume sales. The Oakland Produce Market isn't what it once was, but is still a great place to be. It's survived over a 100 years in the location, but condo's "that never go down in value" and a confused Oakland government might.

I'm not sure how early they open, but it's certainly busy at 5am. A lot of restaurants and local markets buy directly here.

It can be intimidating because it really is wholesale, and the guy next to you is in a hurry to buy 5 *pallets* of napa cabbage. Things slow down considerably by 10am.

Head out in the morning, bring cash, and dress like you're gonna be around some salty blue collar types. Poke into the different stores and ask about rhubarb. It's not quite season, but they might have it.

It'll come in a full size box... maybe 25lbs or 30lbs worth. There will be a little loss in a full size box (the stuff a Safeway will clip off before displaying it).

Franklin and about 4th street, next to Jack London Square.

[Robert Lauriston]

Is that market still open?

There's one in SF: http://www.sfproduce.org/home.html

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San Francisco Wholesale Produce
2095 Jerrold Ave # 212, San Francisco, CA

[Louise]

It sure is still open, I ate breakfast in the neighborhood last weekend.

I would amend the hours--I've been in the area 10pm or so and it's getting started, and when we were there ~ 8:30am on Saturday, only a few places were still open, and those were clearly winding down.

[Robert Lauriston]

I guess there was never a market in the sense of one big building, just an informal cluster of wholesalers around 2nd / 3rd / Franklin / Harrison.

http://journalism.berkeley.edu/projec...

[pointybird]

This is priceless information, Jack, I really can't thank you enough. It sounds like fantastic fun, even if I didn't get the rhubarb I'm craving.

[Jumbo_Jack]

You're welcome.

Depending on how much the wholesaler likes you or thinks you have money to pay, is how they'll charge you. You'll definitely pay more that the restaurants and other resellers, but it's still a good deal there.

A LOT of the ethnic markets buy their produce there, and it's actually where a lot of the big boys like Berkeley Bowl got started.

[Louise]

Second on the requesting them to sell by the case.

I made some rhubarb sorbet last week. Learn something every day, that shade of pink *does* exist in nature.

[Robert Lauriston]

You're jumping the gun by a couple of months. Rhubarb's just starting and strawberries haven't. I'm still watching for the first asparagus.

Best time to make jam is probably late May or early June. If you're determined to do it now, Berkeley Bowl or Monterey Market would probably save you money.

[milklady]

And they're also likely to sell you a case for a discount if you ask.

[pointybird]

Thank you, that is good advice.

[pointybird]

But I want to make jam RIGHT NOW! : ) I feel like I've been eating apples and pears and bananas and bad jelly from Trader Joe's for just months now. Darn you, earth, revolve more quickly! Thank you for the advice, Robert.

[BernalKC]

I'd wait for it to be in season, which should be pretty soon. Maybe a month?

Anyone growing this in SF? I was recently (in the wild food thread) wondering about this, and wondering if it grows wild around here. When I was young we cultivated it in our back yard in suburban Boston and it was prolific -- a true weed. I used to gulp down stewed rhubarb by the bowlfull. Couldn't get enough of it. Having had an unlimited supply for free growing up, I would be loath to pay designer prices for it now. (But I'm pretty sure my hard clay hillside soil would not be good for this. It grew in much swampier places behind my childhood house.)

[pointybird]

nooooo not a month! Not a whole month. I'm dying here. I can't justify another $14 pie.

There is a company that makes decent straw-rhu jelly and it's sold at Bryan's as well, but it's still not as good as what I make at home.

My grandma used to talk about the rhubarb which grew wildly in her backyard, she said it would get as high as her eyes. She would break off the young tender stalks, dip them in sugar, and crunch away. Yum. If I had rhubarb in my backyard, I would eat it nonstop, in yogurt, oatmeal, stewed, in crumbles, pies. It's wonderful stuff.