THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 5, 1996 TAG: 9605020036
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By BETTY DOUGLASS, SPECIAL TO FLAVOR
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
PLEASE DON'T eat the leaves.
When it comes to rhubarb, they're poisonous.
The leaves and roots contain oxalic acid, a toxin. But the long, lean, celery-like stalks are, indeed, edible. Rhubarb packs a delightful sweet-and-sour punch.
It is perhaps most traditionally found in pie.
My grandmother knew it as ``pie plant.'' Each spring a large patch appeared alongside her home in Ohio. From it, she made pie-plant pie and a sauce that needed only a touch of sugar.
Rhubarb is a juicy fruit, although it doesn't look it when raw. Heated, it releases enough liquid to soften the fruit during a short cooking, without the addition of other liquid.
While rhubarb is botanically a vegetable, ``it is considered a fruit by most cooks and diners,'' says Jane Horn in her book ``Cooking From A to Z'' (The Cole Group, 1992).
In the book ``Produce'' (Friendly Press Inc., 1984), author Bruce Beck says rhubarb got its name ``when the ancients observed that it was grown along the Rha river, now known as the Volga, by the resident barbarians.''
Field-grown rhubarb appears in markets in late March or early April and peaks in
May. Hot-house rhubarb often is available year-round.
Hothouse rhubarb has pink stalks and yellow leaves, Horn says in her book. Field-grown rhubarb has red stalks and green leaves. Either may be stringy; hothouse rhubarb tastes more mild.
Ours is not an exceptional growing area for rhubarb. Generally, the plant prefers a colder climate. Most rhubarb we purchase is shipped from other areas.
When buying rhubarb, look for crisp, plump, medium-sized stalks of red or pink. Avoid wilt, blemishes and skinny or overgrown stalks. Refrigerate wrapped stalks for no more than a few days.
If the rhubarb you buy has leaves, discard them before cooking.
Wash and dry the stalks and cut off ends that are soft, brown or rotting, says Kathleen Stewart in the April/May issue of Fine Cooking magazine.
Stewart suggests combining rhubarb with other fruits. She uses apples, citrus and berries. Strawberries and rhubarb are a traditional combination. Spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, enhance its flavor, she says. Fresh ginger is among her favorites.
Whether to remove the strings or leave them on is up to you. Some cooks remove them; others don't because the strings contain most of the rhubarb's color. The strings break down when cooked.
Rhubarb is a good source of calcium and potassium. It has about 20 calories per cup. One pound rhubarb yields about 3 cups sliced fruit. MEMO: Betty Douglass is a free-lance food writer and home economist in
Portsmouth. All recipes in this article have been kitchen-tested by the
author. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN/The Virginian-Pilot
Rhubarb appears in stores in late March or early April and peaks in
May. Botanically a vegetable, it's a god source of calcium and
potassium.
by CNB