Rhubarb Recipes

Rhubarb recipes are the miracles that turn a funny looking, sour vegetable into delicious desserts. Rhubarb – it even sounds odd, doesn't it? But under that pink celery-looking exterior lies the fine makings for pies, crisps, jams, tarts and sauces. People also use it in cookies, breads, beverages, side dishes and desserts.

Many people will tell you that rhubarb is an acquired taste; at the very least, it has a reputation for being beloved or hated. Its unique flavor is hard to compare to other fruits or vegetables, so you should give it a try at least once.

Rhubarb is the common name of the perennial vegetable Rheum. The leaf of the plant is discarded -- it is poisonous and should not be consumed -- and the robust stock of the Rheum is used as the basis of a multitude of rhubarb recipes. This sturdy plant likes a cool dormant season; it is grown primarily in the northern regions of the U.S. and also prospers in Canada. Many home gardeners enjoy having rhubarb in their plots; it has a long growing season as long as you harvest and thin it periodically. Many a late night garden rhubarb poacher have justified their actions with the fact that picking some would make the crop continue longer through the summer.

When you prepare your rhubarb for use in a recipe, you should wash the stocks. Trim the ends to get rid of the leaves and to cut away the base. The outer coating of the rhubarb can be stringy, so for larger stocks, you may want to use a paring knife to trim away the covering. You do not need to peel it, but doing so will make your end result less fibrous.

The key thing to remember about rhubarb is that it is incredibly tart. Rhubarb recipes need lots of sweetening. In addition, it needs to be cooked to a soft consistency so that it can be blended with the sweetening agent. It also cooks down a lot, so a pound of fresh rhubarb stocks will yield less than a cup of cooked product. While the rhubarb itself is fairly low calorie (26 calories for a chopped raw cup of it), the sugar it needs to succeed usually offsets this fact.

Already a rhubarb fan? Try one of our great recipes including rhubarb pie or scalloped rhubarb.

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