Fruit or Vegetable?

     We've plowed this garden ground before with the question of whether a plant is a fruit or vegetable.  As previously mentioned a tomato, often considered a veggie, is actually a fruit.  Today we consider the status of the crimson stalks of the rhubarb plant.  While traditionally prepared as a fruit, it is in reality a vegetable of the family Polygonaceae.  Rhubarb is a herbaceous perennial with fleshy edible stalks called petioles that are crisp like celery with a strong, tart taste.

     Rhubarb can be found right now in many of the area farmers' markets.  It is one of the first foods harvested in the Spring.  And in the Northwest there are actually 2 harvests in Spring and then again in the Fall.  The color of the stalks can vary from the easily recognizable crimson red, to speckled light pink, to light green.


     Native to Europe and Asia, it was introduced to the New World and first appeared in Maine just prior to the 19th Century.  By 1822 it was sold in produce markets throughout New England.  Historically it is most commonly prepared by cooking with sugar and other early fruits, like strawberries and is used in pies and other desserts.  Rhubarb festivals are held around the world to celebrate this fruity vegetable.  So pack up your taste buds and take in the festivities in places like Nova Scotia, Queensland, Australia, Camden, Maine, Conrad, Montana or Wakefield, England.

     The Chinese have considered it a valuable medicinal product as far back as 2700 BC.  They use it for a variety of ailments including constipation and other digestive problems.  They also claim it is an effective method to enhance appetite, promote blood circulation, inhibit intestinal infection and topically to treat burns.

     But beware!  The leaves are poisonous!  They contain oxalic acid a lethal corrosive substance.