High Altitude Rhubarb grows organic rhubarb and organic horseradish. On harvest weekend we also normally sell unfiltered Colorado honey, organic rhubarb plants and organic horseradish plants, rhubarb cookbooks and processed products made by commercial food processors from our rhubarb. The processed products, jams and spreads and such, are sold at wholesale…we don’t mark them up. Plants are sold via email and picked up at the farm before or during the harvest. Plants normally sell out well in advance of the harvest to those on the plant sale announcement list.
Prices are posted on the home page and announced to their interest lists as the harvest approaches. All products are available at the farm during the Harvest Festival and by appointment thereafter.
Satisfaction is unconditionally guaranteed for all of our products or your money back. We hold back a few new plants each year to be available as replacements for any disappointing results with plants from the previous year, should people prefer another plant to money.
Rhubarb, fresh
Colorado Red
Over 20 varieties of rhubarb are grown on the farm. All mature plants are included in the public harvest. However, the primary crop consists of Victoria, Aussie Red, Canada Red, Turkish and Colorado Red rhubarb. (See Rhubarb Varieties for photos and more information about each variety.)
Victoria rhubarb
The Victoria plants all derive from plants given us by a dear friend. We can trace them back over 50 years. The Canada Red was generously gifted us by the heirs of Colorado homesteaders who brought the plant with them in their covered wagon, literally. How cool is that! Colorado Red is a proprietary variety. The original Colorado Red plant was found growing in the forest in 1991. The rhubarb can be picked during the public harvest, which is announced to their harvest interest list once Mother Nature sets the date. It is normally the first weekend in June but join their list to keep informed. Sometimes Mother Nature changes her mind…
Horseradish
horseradish roots
The farm sells horseradish plants, not fresh horseradish. Culinary horseradish is the root of the plant. However, the farm produces potted horseradish plants as opposed to processed horseradish roots. We have two types of horseradish plants, an heirloom variety and a standard variety…indistinguishable to my eyes. The varieties are similar in size and flavor. The heirloom horseradish came to Colorado on the same covered wagon as the Canada Red rhubarb. The standard plants originated from the Care & Share garden. See horseradish for more information.
Plants, rhubarb & horseradish
potted rhubarb plants ready for sale
Both rhubarb and horseradish plants are grown and sold. Plants are from seed or root-stock grown at High Altitude Rhubarb, with one exception. Some of the Colorado Red plants are clones, grown under contract with us. Colorado Red plants are also sold under contract with us by Gurneys and Gardens Alive. They both call them “Hardy Tarty Rhubarb” and will ship them. Here are the links: Gurneys and Gardens Alive
The varieties of plants available differ annually. Each year the actual offerings will be announced to the plant interest list for that year. Although some plants may remain for purchase during the Harvest Festival, most plants are sold to the plant interest list well in advance of the harvest. Many people pick up their plants at the festival though they have reserved/paid in advance. Join their plant interest list to maximize your options.
The rhubarb plants for sale usually included Victoria and Turkish. Victoria accounts for the majority of sales by a large margin. It is extremely hardy and productive and is well suited to the Colorado climate. The parent Victoria plants each produced 90 pounds of rhubarb annually. Mature stalks of Victoria varieties are mostly green. Starting in 2019 they expect to offer Colorado Red plants for sale at the farm. (Starting in 2020 Colorado Red will be available through various seed catalogues for anyone who cannot visit the farm. More details when available.)
Cookbooks
We sell Rhubarb – 50 Tried & True Recipes, by Corrine Kozlak. It is a great source of recipes for the popular uses of rhubarb in desserts. It also has many recipes for breakfast and savory dishes often unknown to rhubarb enthusiasts. Rhubarb is a nutritious vegetable and a tasty addition to many meals. See Table of Contents for more details.
Honey
Unfiltered Colorado honey
Lazarus Fields is the beekeeper. His hives produce throughout northeastern El Paso county. The bottled honey is available during the Harvest Festival. Lazarus also has a website, through which you can purchase his honey throughout the year. It is www.fieldsofnaturalhoney.com