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We have a big patch of rhubarb in our yard. Five or six nice sized mounds of it, one of which has been there for over 50 years! When we moved onto the place, I planted 5 more mounds. I’m not sure what possessed me to think that we needed THAT much rhubarb….. My man likes it, and the rest of us eat it, but 6 mounds?!?! One would have been plenty!
Have you ever looked at rhubarb and wondered who it was that thought it would make good food?
For example, did they look at those big beautiful leaves and think, “Just ONE of those leaves will make a whole meal, I think we’ll have some tonight!” only to have the whole family sick because of it? And why did they think those nice fat juicy stalks would give a different reaction, when they TASTE poisonous?!
Actually, I googled this, and fact or fiction, I found that during World War I, “they” advised people to eat rhubarb leaves as a substitute for vegetables because they were scarce at the time–which resulted in several poisonings and deaths!! Here is an interesting article on Rhubarb from University of Wisconsin.
Eating rhubarb leaves can be harmful and potentially toxic due to their high concentration of oxalic acid. This acid can cause various symptoms, ranging from mild gastrointestinal discomfort to worse problems, like kidney stones and kidney failure, and even rarely, death. The stalks have some of this acid in them, but not enough to cause troubles.
If you’d like to know about kidney stones, and the RUCKUS they cause, you can go talk to my mother–the QUEEN of kidney stones. She just THINKS about kidney stones, and gets them! They are NOT fun!
Who Tried the First Rhubarb Stalk?
Who ever thought that stalk was edible? And WHY?!? They are SO tart?
It’s true though, some people LOVE rhubarb……and some just tolerate it…..and some just DON’T!
Sad Story:
We had some friends, and every year the husband would take some of our proffered rhubarb stalks home, expounding on how GOOD it was, when his wife made it into a pie! We were glad we could share our bounty with him. Then a few years ago he died, and the next spring, remembering how much they loved rhubarb pie, I made a little one for the wife’s birthday, and brought it into town for her.
A few days later, I was talking to her on the phone and she painfully admitted that she didn’t really like rhubarb at all….it was her sweet man that loved it so much!! I felt so bad. Imagine, getting a pie for your birthday, and it turning out to be one you can hardly stand to eat!!
She probably had visions of rhubarb on her doorstep every few weeks…kind of like zucchini, in the summer!
Moral of the story….don’t gift rhubarb, in any form to anyone unless you are POSITIVE they love it!
Are you a rhubarb lover? Do you just eat it…..OR are you an ABSOLUTELY NOT type of person? Let us know in the comments, so you don’t end up with an unwanted pie for your birthday!
Well, that’s my wonderment for the day…..and important or not, I thank you for coming and expanding your universe with me! 🙂
Good Thoughts
“Rhubarb can be sweet
Just add the sugar and BOOM!
It is VERY sweet”
Poem by Jeremy (age 8)
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I found it interesting- when I went to Iowa with my daughter-in-law, that they have rhubarb yogurt. We’ve all seen the strawberry, banana, blueberry and etc yogurt, but rhubarb yogurt?!? So I real quick snatched me up four or five of them to take back to the house..And it was delish!!!
Interesting, indeed! I’ve never heard of rhubarb yogurt!
I like rhubarb, Julie, and absolutely LOVE rhubarb pie! I guess rhubarb is kind of like avocadoes….some like it and some don’t.
I think you’re right! Like beets, too–you either love them, or you DON’T! 🙂
I like pie, some kinds I REALLY like, but I do NOT like rhubarb in any shape, form or fashion!
We have a tie going on! One for yes, one for no!