Pink Champagne And Jazz

When we went shopping yesterday we found tents,stalls,and hot food for sale.It was the sixth food,drink,and Rhubarb festival.Wakefield is one corner of the Rhubarb triangle,famed for growing its early Rhubarb in darkened sheds to produce sweeter stalks(the other two places are Leeds and Morley).The nickname for early Rhubarb is Pink Champagne.I have heard that the Rhubarb is picked by hand in candlelight.The sheds are apparently full of creaking stems as they grow in the dark.The leaves are small and pale yellow coloured.The stalks are long and lusciously pink.I had to buy one packet to try and cook with.
The festival had local chefs showing their audiences how to cook a variety of dishes with Rhubarb.Here it has been used as a fruit for crumbles and pies although it is a vegetable.The pink forced stalks (grown in the pitch black sheds) are one of the earliest crops.The council is using the food festival as an early stop for foodies.There were plenty of Yorkshire food stores selling sweets,cakes,jams,pies,and game meat etc.A brass band played in the precinct under the spire of the Cathedral.There was a man dressed like a pantomime dame called Ruby Rhubarb walking around.There were also a variety of bands, theatre events,and talks around the district.Its good a local food is being championed,and that the festival had drawn people to visit.The pink Champagne we bought was cooked down a little,sweetened with sugar,and turned into a crumble.We will have it with some custard once i have blogged.I am back to work tomorrow so no more gardening until Tuesday.
My amazon order came so I'm listening to some Jazz Cd's.Louis Armstrong is playing as I type this.I got a compilation CD from Starbucks in the World Financial Centre and it has inspired me to buy some old Jazz Cd's.It goes well with the pink Champagne.