Early 2000's Children's Book With Rhubarb Farm

Question

I'm looking for a novel. It was fairly thick for a young child (maybe 200-300 pages), and I read it in the early-mid 2000's, around 2004.

The story revolved around a rhubarb farm that grew enormous rhubarb, with other magical properties. In the center of the farm there is a towering carousel-ish structure. This was all treated in a very Fablehaven-esque manner, with only a few people allowed on the farm.

The main plot point is some sort of supernatural storm brewing that would desiccate the farm? Sadly, I don't remember much about this.

The cover is a shot from the perspective of of the enormous fair ride towering over the farm, showing enormous rhubarb far below as well as the storm brewing in the distance.

I think the main character is a young girl.

Answer 1

Drizzle by Kathleen Van Cleve

The summary from Goodreads is as follows:

Eleven-year-old Polly Peabody knows her family's world-famous rhubarb farm is magical. The plants taste like chocolate, jewels appear in the soil, bugs talk to her, and her best friend is a rhubarb plant named Harry. But the most magical thing is that every single Monday, at exactly 1:00, it rains. Until the Monday when the rain just stops. Now it's up to Polly to figure out why, and whether her brother's mysterious illness and her glamorous aunt Edith's sudden desire to sell the farm have anything to do with it. Most of all, Polly has to make it start raining again before it's too late. Her brother's life, the plants' survival, and her family's future all depend on it. Kathleen Van Cleve has woven an unforgettable coming-of-age tale with all the heart and wonder of a Roald Dahl novel.

The book was first published in 2010 so is a bit newer than you thought and it is 358 pages long so a bit higher than expected. It is also categorised as "Childrens > Middle Grade" which would appear to match your description of "young child".

The cover even seems to match as you describe with the main focus being the ride and a storm (the rain).