Yikes, Is That Green Rhubarb?
When free food shows up on my doorstep, I rejoice. It’s a surprise, an unexpected gift from the universe that sometimes requires a little stretching to actually use. But that’s also where creativity and ingenuity come in—and that’s where kids shine. Many of them like to explore the unknown, the strange and unexpected.
Just the other day my friendly farmer neighbor bestowed us with some rhubarb.
“Hmmm, is it not quite ripe yet?” I asked, for the only rhubarb I had ever seen was the red variety.
Indeed it was, he said. “This is green rhubarb!”
While rhubarb is one of those foods we’ve occasionally eaten at picnics and potlucks, we haven’t used it in our own kitchen, even though I remember my mother making delicious rhubarb pies in the summers of my childhood.
It was time.
At the moment, I had other obligations, but I tucked the rhubarb into a plastic bag and planned to find a way to use it in the next couple of days. And to find out about that green variety too.
What I later learned was that rhubarb is really a vegetable. While it is often thought to be a fruit (and combined with strawberries for a taste sensation), rhubarb is actually a close relative of garden sorrel. It originated in Asia over 2,000 years ago and was first grown for medicinal reasons. Today, it’s still known to be high in vitamin C and fiber.
Rhubarb does come in a variety of colors, from ruby red to grass green to pink-green-speckled in-between. Some varieties may be sweeter, some tarter. But from what I’ve been reading, the color doesn’t matter all that much if you’ve got the real thing.
A perennial, rhubarb will grow large leaves and thick, fleshy stalks each spring into early summer. Rhubarb is cultivated throughout the United States and Europe, but can be found growing wild in the mountains of west and North-western China. There are actually many different species of rhubarb, one of the most prevalent being the common garden rhubarb, Rheum x cultorum.
The one big caution with rhubarb though, is to teach even your youngest ones that the green leaves of the plant are poisonous, since they contain high concentrations of oxalate. You don’t want to eat the leaves of this plant—raw or cooked. While you would need to ingest a large (10+ pounds) amount of the leaves to be lethal, even a small quantity of the leaves could cause sickness.
Better safe than sorry! Here are a few tips recommended for the safe use of rhubarb from the Rhubarb Compendium:
* Trim leaves from stalk immediately
* Don't use stalks from frost-bitten plants
* Wash the stalks well
* Children should be taught to eat only the rhubarb stalks, preferably under supervision
But don’t let that scare you … that flavorful stalk is where it’s at, and rhubarb is actually prized for its use in pies, jams, jellies, sauces and juice.
Known for its tart flavor, I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of heaping cup upon cup of sugar into a dessert to make the stuff edible. After I glanced at a few recipes from a local Amish cookbook, I thought that I’d try a variation—a less-sugar variation.
Well, our experiment met with success. Yes, even though the green stalks first brought back memories of Green Eggs and Ham-type food, green rhubarb really is tasty. It’s quick cooking, and even though it may look questionable at first, combined with sweet, ripe strawberries, it’s got the makings for a super sauce that is delicious either by itself (with pound cake or muffins), or spooned over ice cream while it’s still warm.
Yes, I bet even Sam, I am, would like it.
Now good readers, what do you like to make with rhubarb?
Serves/Makes: 12
- 3 cups diced rhubarb
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 packages (3 ounce size) strawberry gelatin powder
- 2 cups cold water
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
Combine the rhubarb, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan over low heat. Let the mixture cook, stirring frequently, until the rhubarb is tender.
Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the gelatin powder, cold water, and lemon juice. Mix until the gelatin has dissolved and the sauce thickens. Use immediately.
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12 comments
Do you have a picture so I will know what to look for at the grocery store. It sounds good.
Comment posted by Judy
that was very interesting! I love rhubarb crisp, with or without the strawberries, I made a great chutney a couple of years ago, I find it fantastic on pork I didn't realize there where different varieties but it makes sense.. thanks for the tips on this. Regards WB
Comment posted by witchbaby
Red rhubarb originated in Mongolia. The Greeks found it growing along a river in Russian and started using it for a purgative. I like to make spring fruit salad with it. Mix a large can of crushed pinapple juice and all into a pan along with your rhubarb and whole tapioca. When your tapioca's done the rhubarb's done too. You need to stir or it will stick and burn. After you remove it from the heat stir in fresh sliced strawberries and bananas. No sugar needed. Yum!!
Comment posted by Carrie
Thanks for the great ideas ! I have an older Rhubarb plant at home, and have harvested a number of red stalks. Now, having not cut some for a few weeks, the previously red stalks are now green. Anyone know if these are edible, or should I cut them down and wait for the new ones ? Thanks again for your wonderful recipes.
Comment posted by Ian
thank you! last year i bought rhubbarb plants by mail for our 4 yr. anniversary. we have planted and loved them...and this spring we had green rhubbarb! i had never seen such a thing and was convinced i had screwed something up and questioned whether or not it was edible. now that i know this...i shall cook on with confidence. thank you.
Comment posted by Evy
I just bought 4 large stalks of rhubarb at the farmer's market. The bulbous part is nicely red, but the upper part is green yet. Will this be tasty, or should I wait a couple days for more red to appear? Just not sure if green rhubarb is totally green.
Comment posted by Terry
I planted a rhubarb plant in a big pot in my yard in mid-February. It has fairly large stems now but it is still green. Is there some rule about the size of the stems that will let me know when they are ready to use? I am afraid if I leave them too long they will get tough and stringy. All of the rhubarb I have used in the past turns a pretty bright red when it is edible. Thank you, Kay
Comment posted by Kay
Hi Kay, From the bit of reading I've done on this, it doesn't seem like there is any rule about the size of rhubarb in regards to its harvest-ability. Sounds like you may have a green variety that is ready to use--and yes, due to the toughness and stringiness, some folks don't harvest past July. Here's some wisdom from Lon Rombough at the hort.net site: "You can use it as soon as it's big enough to get ahold of. In other words, there is no such thing as "ripe" with rhubarb, though it helps to wait until the leaf has fully unfolded so the stalk is long enough to be worth harvesting. Let it go TOO long, though, and it can be fibrous and tough. Pull the stalk so that the white leaf base comes out clean. Snip off the leaf itself and leave it as mulch at the base of the plant." Hope this helps, Christine
Comment posted by Christine
thank you, very interesting. I just pulled 20 green stalks. Am about to make pie. OHIO
Comment posted by ryanreeser
I had what looks like Rhubarb show up in a part of my yard where I had dug below grass level last May. Other variations of French Mesclun lettuces also showed up though I had not planted any for a few years now. So I have a coupla questions. is rhubarb also known as swiss chard? (swiss chard is listed in the seed packet's description)and why do I keep reading to NOT use stalks from frost bitten plants?
Comment posted by ginger
Hi i dont use sugar i put stalks in a poy and pour some cointreau over it, not a lot, then bring it to the boil and it always tastes great. enjoy
Comment posted by lyall
The reddish stalks never become poisonous, according to the University of Minnesota Extension Service, though the stalks become woody and tough after a frost. "A common myth is that the entire plant becomes toxic later in the summer," according to one U of M handout. "This is not true; indeed, if a few stalks are pulled on one occasion later in summer to prepare a special dish, plant health and vigor will probably be unaffected."
By the way, not all rhubarb is red. There are green varieties.
Evy & Kay, since it's 7 years later, I fear this is too late for you, but It is important not to pull any stalks in the plant's first year of growth, as doing that will seriously weaken the establishing rhubarb plant. And never harvest more than 1/3 of the plant or it may die.Comment posted by Teresa
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