Refresh with rhubarb

Donna Green, Extension EducatorFamily and Consumer SciencesOne of my favorite spring foods is rhubarb. I love rhubarb pie, rhubarb bread, and rhubarb crisp (ala mode, of course). This "pie plant" is primarily used as a fruit, but botanically, it's a vegetable. Eaten alone, it is extremely tart. The only other comparable plant food that is as tart as rhubarb is a cranberry. And like the cranberry, rhubarb needs a little sugar or honey to balance out its acid content.Rhubarb is a plant well suited to Ohio weather. It likes a cool, damp climate, so it should be in ecstasy after our weather of the last few weeks. Rhubarb lovers believe that the highest quality rhubarb comes from our northern U.S. states and Canada. It is one of the first edible plants to appear in the spring garden.Rhubarb is a perennial; it will come back year after year with little-to-no effort on your part. You should harvest the stalks when they are 12-18" long. The color of the stalks will range from green to dark red. When picking rhubarb, pull it, don't cut it. Pull it away from the base (like celery) and give it a good tug. It will snap off at the bottom. Take only about 1/3 of the stalks at any one picking. More will keep growing to replace what you've pulled. Pick the largest stalks to use first. And never eat the leaves; they are poisonous.Nutritionally, rhubarb is not a powerhouse. It is 95 percent water, and provides some calcium, potassium, and a little bit of vitamins A and C. However, a one-cup serving of rhubarb does contain two grams of fiber, and is only 26 calories before sugaring. When combined with other fruits, you will pick up extra nutrients. Good pairings include strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries.If you don't have a rhubarb plant in your yard, you can purchase some at the grocery store or farm market. Stalks should look flat, not curled or limp. Deep red stalks are sweeter than light pink ones. To store, wrap rhubarb in plastic wrap and place in the vegetable crisper for up to a week. Some people like to peel rhubarb before they chop it; I don't bother. I just wash it and chop it. If you have extra that you want to save for winter treats, rhubarb is easy to freeze.I was recently talking with someone who was reminiscing about rhubarb sauce that his grandmother used to make. He was wishing he knew how to make it. So I'm including the recipe below. It tastes wonderful on ice cream and makes an awesome yogurt parfait (yogurt, rhubarb sauce, and granola crunchies).Rhubarb Sauce 4 cups rhubarb, chopped2 tablespoons water1/2 cup sugarInstructionsPut rhubarb into a non-reactive pot, such as enameled cast-iron. Rhubarb is acidic. It is best to cook it in coated pans or glass baking dishes. Avoid using metal pans such as aluminum, copper or iron, as the rhubarb will turn brown and the pan will become discolored. Add the water and sugar, and then stir to combine. Cook over medium heat just until the rhubarb softens, about 5 to 10 minutes. Let cool briefly, and then ladle the sauce into a glass jar with a lid. The sauce will thicken as it cools.