My mom talks about growing up in Michigan and picking rhubarb from their backyard garden, sprinkling it with salt, and munching on it. I believe there was also a backyard swing involved in that story, although I could be merging two stories together. The first time that I tried rhubarb, the taste reminded me of picking sour grass with my grandma as a child. Like many people, I have also tried it in strawberry rhubarb pie. Jennifer Tyler Lee recommends a strawberry rhubarb crisp or rhubarb ice pops (YUM!). Additional ideas for use include in sweet fruit breads, rhubarb syrup, and rhubarb mojitos (!!!!!). I like sour things, so I imagine that I would like it chopped in a salad with other raw veggies. How do you use rhubarb?
Food Facts:
The leaves of the plant are poisonous. The stalks are the edible part of the plant.- It can be used to help constipation.
- It has been shown to have anticancer effects in lab studies.
- It is rich in lycopene and can be supportive in preventing heart disease.
- It has vitamins K and C and calcium, potassium, and manganese.
- Good source of fiber.
- It is an early spring plant – one of the first to grow, especially in colder regions.
- Choose firm stalks when harvesting or purchasing.
From The 52 New Foods Challenge: A Family Cooking Adventure for Each Week of the Year, with 150 Recipes
short season. I try to buy them for him often during May and June. I have never bought rhubarb, so it should go on my list of things to buy and cook with.