by Tamara Ponama

Created on: December 10, 2008   Last Updated: December 09, 2011

Rhubarb is a plant with elephantine green leaves atop tall, reddish-pink stalks. The more red in the stalk, the more sweetness there is in this exceptionally sour vegetable. The dark green leaves are poisonous. Do not eat the leaves!The stalks are the treasure. They are stringy and potently sour. They resemble giant stalks of celery after being divided from the bunch. One might even wonder, "How did they grow this 24" stalk of pink celery?" Rhubarb is well-known across North America and in eastern Asia where it often grows wild.

As a child in Northern Michigan, I remember the prolific Rhubarb weeds which grew densely behind our woodshed. We would love to break off the juicy stalks and munch on them until our mouths were so puckered from the juice that we could not whistle a tune if we wanted to; even though our cheeks were sucked in and our mouths pursed in true whistling form!

If one does not have a wild rhubarb patch running rampantly behind the woodshed or garage, one can find rhubarb in the produce section of major grocery markets. The stalks wilt fairly rapidly so try to pick the crispiest ones. Stalks that are pulled and not cut will dry out less rapidly but are usually more difficult to find.

The crispness can easily be restored by standing the stalks in a jar of cold water. They can be kept in the refrigerator for several days in this manner but they will quickly become offensively mushy and covered with grayish-green fuzz similar to the likes of what penicillin is made out of. At that point, the rhubarb is worthless and must be discarded.

The best way to preserve rhubarb is to freeze it. Wash the fresh stalks thoroughly then slice them into pieces approximately one or two inches long and pack in freezer bags. Be sure to label and date each container before freezing.

Strong, tart stalks of ruby colored rhubarb can be made into a variety of tangy, sweet-tart desserts such as pies, jam and chutney. Canned rhubarb makes a wonderful topping over French Vanilla ice cream! Rhubarb also blends well with apples, strawberries or raspberries tantalizingly complementing one another with sweet and sour.

A multitude of rhubarb recipes and even rhubarb vendors (so you can grow your ownrRhubarb patch) can be found by searching under "Rhubarb" at:www.epicurean.com/.

Rhubarb is an excellent souce of vitamins C and k. A nutritional breakdown of rhubarb can be found at: www.ayushveda.com/magazine/benefits-of-rhubarb/. Additionally, eating a piece of an uncooked, cold rhubarb stalk has been known to reduce stomach acid. There is also a great picture of the beautiful (but poisonous) rhubarb leaf on this site!

Herbalists and homeopathic practitioners have prepared and preserved rhubarb tinctures and powders for centuries. It is important to note that these medicinal rhubarb treatments are not from the rhubarb food. They are derived from the root or rhizome. Additional information about the medicinal properties of the rhubarb root can be found at: www.zhion.com/herb/Rhubarb.html/.

To sum up the selection and storage of rhubarb: Pick your own or choose pulled stalks over cut stalks at the market (if you have a choice). Store fresh stalks in jars of water in the refrigerator. It does not stay fresh for very long therefore slice and freeze quickly so you can enjoy your rhubarb delicacies year around.

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