Rhubarb ration (From York Press)

Rhubarb ration

11:08am Monday 11th March 2013 in Letters

WITH reference to the item “In the garden, time for rhubarb” (The Press, March 2), this brings back memories of my childhood, especially during the war years. Digging for victory relied on householders utilising every plot of ground to promote the growing of vegetables, fruit, including rhubarb, as a means of producing extra nutrition, iron being the main ingredient.

Rhubarb and custard, apple pie, rhubarb together with broken biscuits became a special treat; tapioca, which gave the impression of “frog spawn”, came second in the order of cooking, with a sprinkle or two of the York sugar beet factory’s product rationed or gained through the black market, albeit relatives working there.

One needs to be reminded by way of a framed old map that the growers of rhubarb in West Yorkshire supplied most of our needs at home and abroad.

Kenneth Bowker, Vesper Walk, Huntington, York.