A fresh new look at one of my most-visited posts at this time of year…scroll to the end of “Fun and Interesting Facts about Rhubarb” for a fun treat! And don’t forget to let me know your favourite rhubarb recipes!
The rhubarb in the community garden is absolutely monstrous this year – it shot up so quickly I barely had time to blink during the transition between fat sprouts to gargantuan wide leaves and thick, harvest-ready stalks. I’m dreaming about the rhubarb cake I am going to bake….
Rhubarb gardeners will know most of these fun facts, but if you’re new to growing (or eating!) it, you might enjoy this little list of rhubarb trivia:
- Rhubarb is in the Polygonaceae family, which includes buckwheat and sorrel.
- Rhubarb’s binomial name is Rheum rhabarbarum – the specific epithet is from the Latin and means “root of the barbarians.”
- Rhubarb leaves are poisonous, chock full of more oxalic acid than humans and animals may safely consume. Small amounts of oxalic acid are found in the stalks, which we eat – the acidity gives rhubarb its “tang.” (You’ll find small amounts of oxalic acid…
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Flowery Prose. 