Giant Rhubarb and Hibiscus Cornmeal Scone

For the rhubarb-curious and anyone who stresses over dividing scones - I know you’re out there!

I love rhubarb.

I love how assertive and tartly vegetal it is in its raw form and how it collapses into mellowed strands of neon pink at the mere mention of heat. Like ramps, you either love them or you wait for them to quickly fade from menus as we inch closer to the “real” offerings of warmer weather. In many places, rhubarb grows wild like a common weed while in other places, chiefly the “rhubarb triangle” of England, it’s carefully grown in complete darkness lit only by the light of a farmer’s candle during harvesting. This process is referred to as “forcing”.

rhubarb, dried hibiscus, and an orange before poaching

Forcing encourages the rhubarb to grow taller as the stalks reach up in search of light. Their fibrous lengths swell with the glucose that would have been used to grow large leafy tops for absorbing sunlight. This all serves to make them…