Boyce familyâs rhubarb treats live on
Of all the herbaceous perennials that have accompanied my household every time Iâve moved, the rhubarb plant is the oldest. A member of the buckwheat family, the first rhubarb cultivar traveled to New England via European settlers. The plant was cultivated in Asiatic countries for many centuries before being introduced to Europe in about 1600.
I trace the roots of my rosy-stalked, tart-tasting plant back to the family homestead in Norway, Maine. When the Ephraim Crocket family settled on Lake Pennesseewassee in the early 1800s, they grew many foods, including potatoes, apple trees and rhubarb. The rhubarb enlarged, the plant was divided and moved, and still grows tall today.