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 
I have it also in my garden and like it a lot
It is an amazing, productive plant – and delicious, too!
Root of the barbarians? I take offense at that!
*backs away very cautiously* LOL! The story of the name found two comments below is very appealing….
Rhubard does not need recipes. It just goes into a pie with sugar and that is it; isn’t it? I suppose it could go into a casserole with sugar and biscuits just as easily. I still grow the same rhubard that I got from my great grandfather when I was about five.
I’m with you re: the pie. But it makes a pretty fine cake, too…. 😉 I love that you’re still growing the rhubarb you received from your great-grandfather – that’s a priceless garden treasure.
That same rhubarb has gotten around! I gave some to my uncle years ago. I have not seen my cousin in years, but she had some of it in her garden in Oregon. I intend to send some to my Pa, as well as cuttings from a crabapple tree that he picked apples from with his mother when he was a little tyke. I happen to work on the property where they tree is located! I only recently learned that the tree was the same that my Pa was familiar with.
I once read a story about Jason & the Argonauts sailing around trying to find the golden fleece.After several years of searching in vain,their supplies became thin.So they put into the mouth of a large river system.They found a plant their that gave them back their strength when brewed. Because they hadn’t found the Golden Fleece,they decided to bring back the plant.Better something rather than nothing I suppose.
Upon arrival a year back in their home port they were ridiculed for not finding the Golden Fleece & when they showed the plant they were labelled Barbarians.
The plant came from the mouth of the Rhu river & because they were Barbarians,they called the plant Rhubarb.
I love it – that story works very well as the source of the botanical name! Thanks a million for sharing! 🙂
always nice to have a chat Sheryl!