Rhubarb is an acidic plant that thrives in cool temperatures and contains a decent amount of vitamin C. Rhubarb was mostly a medicinal plant until the rise of affordable sugar. The leaves are toxic, but the stems are used in pies, jam, wine, and can be eaten raw when dipped in sugar. And where do you find the biggest rhubarb plants? In Alaska! The plant is not native to the region, but Alaskan farmers grow enormous stalks, mainly thanks to Henry D. Clark, the "Rhubarb King" of Skagway, Alaska.
In early 1900s, settlers in the frontier marveled at rhubarb’s massive growth potential. Newspapers and books often profiled Clark’s farm in particular. The man himself came from humble beginnings, says Caroline Hill, general manager of Jewell Gardens, which occupies part of Clark’s old homestead today. Clark hailed from Wisconsin, and trekked to Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush. On the infamous White Pass Trail, Hill says, Clark witnessed people suffering from scurvy.
“We think that maybe he had rhubarb seeds in his pocket,” Hill says. On his return to the town of Skagway, Clark established his rhubarb farm—a wise decision, considering the local lack of fresh food. A photo from 1913 shows Clark holding a humongous rhubarb stalk, topped with a large fluffy leaf, along with a yardstick in one hand to demonstrate its size. “That’s three feet just there,” Hill points out. “I don’t think he was an abnormally short or tall man. So it’s a very large piece of rhubarb.”
Read about Alaska's giant rhubarb at Atlas Obscura.
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