What Is Rhubarb, and How Do I Cook With It? (2024)

For a few weeks each spring,farmers market baskets fill up with long candy pinkstalks of rhubarb. Many consider it one of the season’s greatest gifts, right up there with snappyasparagus and brightradishes. After its highly anticipated yearly debut, the gem-toned beauties disappear from the market almost as quickly as they arrived. Like a young Hollywood starlet, the ephemeral stalks come with a certain level of mystique: What doesrhubarb taste like? When is it in season? And is there any truth behind those poison rumors? All that and more, coming right up:

What is rhubarb?

A member of the buckwheat family, rhubarb is known for its vibrant pink hue and tart taste.While science considers it a vegetable,the USDA officially recognized rhubarb as a fruit after a 1947 court case due to its popular use in pies and sauces.Rhubarb plants can grow to be two or three feet tall, though most stalks you’ll find at the store range from 10 to 12 inches in length and can vary in color from light green to vibrant pink to deep, rich red. Red stalks don’t necessarily indicate ripeness but are a feature of certain varieties. Because of its inherent tang, rhubarb shines when cooked with sugar. You’ll find the fruit stewed intorhubarb compote, diced and tossed into apie, or sliced into thin strips and layered ontarts orupside-down cake (swap it for lemons inthis recipe).

Thisperennial plant originated inChina and grows best in a coolerclimate—most of the rhubarb in the US grows in Washington, Michigan,Maine, and Oregon. It’s particularly popular in the UK, where some farmers have devised techniques to make rhubarb available earlier in the season. Forced rhubarb, grown in pitch-darkhothouses and harvested by candlelight, is available six to eight weeks beforerhubarb season begins; without exposure to light (which spurs photosynthesis), therhubarb stalks grow faster than usual, yielding an early harvest. Forced rhubarb is also prized for its sweeter flavor, as the glucose that would’ve been expended in growing the plant’s leaves remains concentrated in the stalks.

When is rhubarb in season?

Depending on your location, rhubarb is typically available fromearly spring (the end of March or early April) tolate spring or early summer (around May or June). Sincefresh rhubarb is almost always available in April, it’s a common choice forPassover andEaster desserts, as well as otherspring celebrations. Rhubarb is only harvested once a year, so if you see some at the store, grab it.

In spring, you canbuy rhubarb at thegrocery store or your localfarmers market. Look for straight, firm stalks with no visible signs of decay (such as scars,blemishes, or damage from insects).Store rhubarb at room temperature for up to 48 hours or in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for two to three weeks.

Isrhubarb poisonous?

You may have heard a few rumors about this hardy plant’s poisonous properties.Rhubarb leaves contain high levels ofoxalic acid, which can be lethal if consumed. The stalks are completely safe to eat (whether cooked or raw) and most of the time the leaves will have been removed before they reach your hands. If they haven’t, simply cut the leaves away (they’re safe to handle, just don’t eat them) and discard before prepping your stalks.

How to cook and bake with rhubarb:

You’ll usually find rhubarb baked into sweets, likerhubarb crisp (topped with abrown sugarcrumble), rhubarb pie, orrhubarb custard cake. It’s great solo, but also plays well with sweeter fruits. In one classic pairing,strawberry-rhubarb pie, thesweet flavor of the fruit complements tart rhubarb. You can also combine it with raspberries inacompote to spoon over French toast.

Bought too manystalks of rhubarb and not sure how to use them? Stew them into arhubarb jam,chutney, orcompote to slather onricotta toast orscones. Poachraw rhubarb stalks in simple syrup to soften them while preserving their color and serve alongsidetahini chiffon cake,angel food cake, ora pint ofvanilla ice cream. Use the residual syrup in co*cktails like astrawberry-rhubarb spritz. Or add a dash of apple cider vinegar to turn it into ashrub.

Rhubarb’s applications aren’t limited to dessert. You’ll find it insavory dishes too. Toss crisp, thinly sliced raw stalks with strawberries, watercress, and apinch of salt for afresh salad. Rub rhubarb butter onroast chicken. Or purée it into vibrantbeet-rhubarb soup.