Rhubarb, It’s Just Misunderstood

There’s lots of ways to enjoy it, or to learn to enjoy it.

Rhubarb is one of those fruits people either love or hate. There’s not much in between. They are a very bitter fruit, technically a vegetable, but once you cook it and add in a sweetener, it changes everything. I added a couple of tasty recipes at the bottom of this post.

This is one of the things you plant once and it’s there for decades. Everyone with a yard should aim for a variety of food that comes back year after year with a little care. It grows well in cooler climates, it doesn’t like the heat. It’s a good plant to grow if you’re living in the north.

The easiest way to eat rhubarb is to cut it up into small pieces and cook on low in a pan with a tiny bit of water and sugar to taste. You could add a bit of cinnamon. It ends up being a lot of sugar, but it’s full of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. You could try stevia, maple syrup, or honey instead of the sugar. Add a mix of oats and nuts as a topping for some crunch. 

Rhubarb has many health benefits – it’s loaded with fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants helpful for bone and blood health, generally keeping us healthy. Lots of fiber helps with cholesterol,  and digestion. It has anti-inflammatory properties, and it’s a very good source of vitamin K.

It has laxative properties, but it also has tannins which are supposed to prevent diarrhea. Still, don’t overdo rhubarb, unless you know that you’re immune to its sometimes unwanted effects.

It’s also high in calcium oxalate, which can lead to the formation of kidney stones in some people. But there’s no reason you can’t eat or drink this in moderation. It is very healthy. It’ll keep you regular.

Avoid rhubarb if you’re taking blood thinning medications such as warfarin. It can interfere with its effectiveness. A small amount now and again likely won’t hurt, but mainly avoid it.

The leaves are toxic. When you’re cutting your stalks, don’t cut too close to the leaves, and don’t put the leaves in the compost. Keep these plants away from pets – fence them off, or put a little cage around them.

Rhubarb freezes easily, you just need to cut it up and put in a freezer bag with the air removed. It almost couldn’t be any easier.

I’ve had this recipe for decades, and I have no idea where I found it. 

Rhubarb Walnut Bread

ingredients

• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup light flavoured oil or butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 ½ cups flour
• ½ cup buttermilk (substitute is ½ cup milk + ½ tbsp lemon juice)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ¼ cups diced rhubarb 
• ½ cup walnuts (can substitute pecans)

top with

• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ tablespoon butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large sized bowl, mix together brown sugar, oil, egg, vanilla, and buttermilk. Mix dry ingredients together in a smaller bowl. Add dry into wet ingredients, mix well, fold in diced rhubarb and nuts. Put in a 9×5 greased loaf pan. Mix topping, put over top of loaf, and bake for 1 hour.

You can make a beautiful Rhubarb Honey Lemonade by simmering a couple of cups of chopped rhubarb stalks with about 4 cups of water until the rhubarb is soft. Add a red beet slice while simmering to ensure the pink color. Take out the beet, purée the rest. Strain, and add  ¼ cup of honey, and juice from 2 lemons, and refrigerate. If you need it sweeter, add a bit more of your favourite sweetener. 

This might be good with an ounce of gin or vodka too!

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Chilled Strawberry-Rhubarb Soup

• 4 cups of rhubarb pieces, cut in 1/2-inch pieces, fresh or frozen
• 3 cups Water
• ⅓ cup of sugar
• Dash of salt

Bring this to a boil, then simmer until rhubarb is soft. Cool, transfer to a blender. Add:

• 1 1/2 cups Strawberries
• 1/8 tsp Salt

Blend

• Stir in 1/3 cup of fresh basil or mint (experiment with different herbs)

Serve cold

• Sprinkle with more mint and freshly ground pepper 

Rhubarb can be made into jams, jellies, chutneys, salsas, soups, drinks, cakes – there’s so many ways to enjoy it!