Food

Food Information

Vegetables

RHUBARB

In ancient China rhubarb was used for medicinal purposes, and even as recently as our colonial times it was believed to cure tired blood.

Rhubarb wasn't recognized as a food until about three hundred years ago. Just as the tomato is a fruit but is referred to as a vegetable, the rhubarb is a vegetable but is thought of as a fruit. It is used in pies and sauces and is especially good when cooked with strawberries. In some areas of the United States rhubarb is known as the pieplant.

There are two types of Rhubarb: outdoor and hothouse. Outdoor rhubarb comes in season in spring and lasts until fall. The stalks are often more green than red and have large, floppy, green leaves. It is quite coarse in texture and often stringy. It is also very tart and requires lots of sugar. The hothouse variety, which is produced in California, Oregon, and Michigan arrives in January and winds up in June. It is either cherry-red or blushing-pink. Some hothouse rhubarb have bright yellow leaves and are particularly attractive. It is not as stringy as outdoor rhubarb, has a milder flavor, and requires less sugar. Rhubarb leaves, which are toxic, should never be eaten.

Fresh rhubarb can be easily identified by its firm and erect stalks. When it's not fresh, the stalks are limp and floppy.

WHEN TO BUY: January through August
WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Firm, erect stalks
HOW TO STORE: Refrigerate immediately after purchase


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