Is Rhubarb A Fruit Or Veggie ?
We have heard about rhubarbs, probably seen them or even grown and used them in our dishes, but how many of us actually know if the rhubarb is a fruit or a vegetable. This could be quite confusing since the appearance of the rhubarb is so much like a green plant with huge leaves. The answer is quite easy -- rhubarb is an ornamental vegetable, which is used and prepared with other dishes as a fruit. Confused? |
Botanically speaking, a fruit has to have seeds. This is not the case with rhubarb as just the stalks are used. Hence, rhubarb is botanically categorized as a veggie and not food.
Rhubarb is perennial in most areas, and it is a cool season crop which is grown for the stalks that make yummy sweet treats like tarts and pies. Rhubarbs are huge leafy plants that grow to about 2 to 3 feet in width and height. Though the plant is well known for its stalks, it can also make a very beautiful ornamental plant in your garden, especially the varieties in yellow and red. The red variety is the most sought after since it has a better taste and tenderness than the green variety. However, the green variety is more productive when compared to the red variety.
Did you know that only the stalks of the rhubarb plant are edible and that the leaves are toxic and removed during harvest time? The leaves of the rhubarb plant contain a substance known as oxalic acid crystals and these crystals could lead to poisoning. If your rhubarb plant is damaged by frost, it becomes useless and cannot be consumed.
Rhubarbs are a non-fussy plant that require very little attention and can be made according to your taste in sweet dishes.
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