Rhubarb… you either like or hate it. Nothing between. There are various rhubarb recipes using this succulent stem in pies, desserts or raw in salads and smoothies.
Botanically speaking, rhubarb is considered a vegetable, but its most often treated as a fruit. Just like fresh cranberries, rhubarb is almost unbearably tart on its own and needs the sweetness of sugar, honey, or fruit juice added to balance out the acidity.
Rhubarb is a cool season, perennial crop and requires temperatures below 5 degree Centigrade to break dormancy. It is one of the first food plants to be ready for harvest, usually in mid to late spring. Considering the fact that both leaves and roots contain poisonous substances (oxalic acid) which are deadly poisonous, they should never be eaten.
Even though rhubarb may not be the most romantic looking edible on earth, but it’s a welcome sight in early spring, when everyone’s fancy turns to thoughts of pie.