by Raven Lebeau

Created on: May 16, 2008

Rhubarb is a weed that can be found anywhere in the Midwestern United States. As a garden plant, it is extremely easy to grow, as it thrives under almost any set of conditions. It can even be a nuisance weed. You may have pulled some out of your flower bed without realizing you were tossing out a potential delicacy.

Not only is a rhubarb a common weed, but a poisonous one as well. The leaves, and to some extent the stalks, contain the toxic compound oxalic acid. When antifreeze is ingested, the body oxidizes it to oxalic acid, so in essence, rhubarb is toxic for exactly the same reason antifreeze is.

Why anyone decided that eating rhubarb is a good idea, I will never know. However, I'm glad someone did. Its tart, tangy flavor is similar to that of gooseberries, lacking the bitterness of cranberries. When properly cooked, rhubarb is safe and healthy to eat. Since it is so easy to grow, it can help save on the grocery bill too!

The primary use for rhubarb is in compotes or pies. Before harvesting your rhubarb, make sure the stalks are a bright pink color. Green stalks are not ripe. To make a thick, syrupy compote, simply chop off and discard the leaves, then cut the stalks up into pieces. Put the pieces in a sauce pan, cover it, and set your stove burner on "low". You can add sugar or artificial sweetener to your rhubarb as needed. Most people do not care for the tartness of unsweetened rhubarb, but over-sweetening will ruin it for those of us who are rhubarb connoisseurs . In about 30 minutes, you should have a thick goo that can be used on pancakes, ice cream, or cake as a topping.

If you want to make a rhubarb pie or serve the rhubarb by itself as a side dish or dessert, you will want a thicker texture. Instead of heating it while covered for the full 30 minutes, remove the lid after 15-20 minutes so the water can evaporate. If necessary, you can add corn starch as a thickening agent. The resulting gel-like mixture can be poured into a pie shell or just dished out into glass bowls.

For a real Midwestern classic dessert, cook your rhubarb for 15 minutes on the stove, then pour it into a glass cake pan. Sprinkle a mixture of breadcrumbs or flour, brown sugar, and butter over the top, and bake it for 15-20 minutes in a 350 degree oven. You now have rhubarb cobbler.

Rhubarb can also be cooked with spices like cinnamon or nutmeg. You can substitute properly cooked rhubarb for any other fruit in your favorite pie recipes. When sweetened, it tastes much like other fruits. It can also be used in combination with fruits and berries.

Finally, rhubarb can be used to make the only wine worth drinking. Wyldewood Cellars near Wichita, Kansas produces an excellent rhubarb wine. If you want to try making rhubarb wine at home, you can find recipes online, though I can't vouch for their quality. I can't decide if drinking rhubarb wine is an example of classy culture or a sign that Kansas are no longer fighting the hillbilly stereotype. It's wine, but it's made from weeds. At any rate, it's the only wine I would consider worth buying. What could be better than enjoying a glass of rhubarb wine with a dish of rhubarb cobbler while sitting among my many lawn ornaments in my rocking chair? The only thing that could spoil such an evening is a tornado running rampant through the trailer park.

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