It was a little too rainy here tonight for me to get the mowing done. Instead, I had the kids go out back and cut some rhubarb so I could make rhubarb cobbler for dessert. As we were enjoying our Midwestern delicacy, Bug asked me a question that I wasn't quite certain the answer to.
Is rhubarb a fruit or a vegetable?
My first inclination was that it was a vegetable as it is a stalk and and bears seeds apart from the eatable portion. I wasn't exactly sure though, so we decided to do some research on the Internet. We found out quite a few fascinating facts.
Rhubarb is indeed a vegetable. The leaves are toxic to humans, but it would take consuming approximately 11 pounds of sour leaves to do any harm (who in the world would attempt such a thing?). The roots are a strong laxative. In the UK the first harvest of the year is cut in dark sheds by candlelight. This supposedly makes the stalks more tender and sweeter (I'll take their word for it). Rhubarb was first introduced to the United States in the 1820's.
Some of those little factoids might flit through my head the next time I'm out there cutting stalks. I'm pretty sure I'll be thinking mostly about the following recipe:
Rhubarb Cobbler
Preheat oven to 350
In an ungreased 9x13 pan toss together:
3 cups rhubarb
2 cups mini marshmallows
3/4 cup sugar
Set aside.
Cream together:
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
Add 2 beaten eggs
Alternate 1/2 cup milk with:
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
spread mixture over rhubarb. Bake 40 minutes or until done. serve with whipped cream or half & half.
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