~ Pucker Up For Tart Green or Red Stalked Rhubarb ~
This quick post, hopefully once and for all, will answer this question: Is there a difference between green and red stalked rhubarb? The answer is no. They are both perfectly ripe and they are both ready to be cooked. Period. End of discussion. Me personally, I love the pucker-up experience that rhubarb provides, and, while I understand why people often pair it with strawberries (they do playwell together), in my opinion, like the tart apple or the sour cherry, rhubarb requires no distractions. I prefer my rhubarb unadulterated. That said, there are a few things us rhubarb aficionados do know about this too often maligned vegetable.
Sometimes referred as "the pie vegetable, the color of rhubarb is in no way related to its suitability for cooking, however, the red rhubarb sold in the grocery store, unless marked "locally grown" is always grown in hot houses. I find this type of rhubarb to be a bit dryer in texture and a bit subdued in flavor. Outdoor-grown varietes vary in color from red, speckled with red, light pink or simply green (like mine). Green stalked rhubarb is more robust (pucker up tart) and produces a higher yield, but, red is sure more popular with consumers -- simply because they prefer ruby red color to celery green color. I grew up eating green rhubarb and didn't realize it came in red until I was old enough to do my mom's grocery shopping for her. The rhubarb we grow in our Happy Valley vegetable garden was transplanted from my father's garden, which was transplanted from his father's garden in Eastern Pennsylvania, which makes it an heirloom rhubarb plant.
Try my recipe for Sweet, Savory & Spicy Rhubarb-Ginger Chutney:
And my recipe for Pucker Up for Straight-Up Rhubarb Streusel Pie:
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2021)
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