Tusky (ˈtʌski) in Yorkshire dialect means rhubarb, and the name is synonymous with the area of Yorkshire which has for centuries been growing the finest rhubarb that is exported all over the world.

Rhubarb is thought to have originated in Russia, but in Yorkshire it has the three things that it needs to grow — cold, water, and nitrogen. The Yorkshire Rhubarb Triangle is situated in a frost pocket, ideal for rhubarb cultivation, and of course we have no shortage of rain. And back in the day the woollen mills provided nitrogen in the form of “shoddy”, a mulch of waste woollen cloth or clippings, readily available and packed with nitrogen.