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R is for Rhubarb.....

A favorite of pie lovers near and far, rhubarb is another one of those "edible" plants with "inedible" parts. For this tart and tangy vegetable, it's the leaves that are harmful.

One must be cautious when cooking with this versatile stalk. The entire plant contains oxalic acid in varying degrees, but it is in the leaves that the poison is most concentrated. Consume enough of the leafy material, or cook enough of the leaves in with your stalk and you risk some pretty nasty gastrointestinal symptoms. Consume too much and the dose is lethal.


Rhubarb Delight

Kiss the red stalk gently, 
with sweetness and light.
Stew with fruit quietly,
make tart rhubarb delight.

                                                                                 --- e.a.s. demers


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  1. My Aunt used to make raspberry rhubarb pie. I always found it strange that part of a plant could be toxic and the other part okay to eat. We used to eat the stems of wood sorrell in the woods, but the neighbors mother warned us not to eat too much. She was a nurse and I think it was the oxalic acid she was worried about.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. I've actually never had rhubarb pie at all... but, I agree that it's strange that one part of the plant is okay to eat while another part is toxic...

      Delete

  2. I love strawberry rhubarb pie. I haven't had it in ages though.

    {ami}
    http://sundrysumthins.wordpress.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. I've always wanted to try rhubarb pie, I have friends who love it, but, it wasn't part of our repertoire.

      Delete

  3. Quite possibly my favorite pie! I'm trying to visit all the A-Z Challenge Blogs in April. My alphabet is at myqualityday.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

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