You might know rhubarb best for its regular inclusion in a sugary-sweet pie, but this spring vegetable has a lot more applications (and more nutritious ones at that) than just dessert. Yes, you read that right—the U.S. Department of Agriculture classifies rhubarb as a fruit, but it’s botanically a vegetable (how confusing!) You can eat the stalks, which have a strong, tart flavor (and why it’s often cooked as a dessert with lots of sugar), but not the acidic, toxic leaves at the top.
Admittedly, for produce, rhubarb isn’t that rich in nutrients. It’s a decent source of vitamin K, giving you about 30 percent of the total recommended daily amount in each serving, and it’s high in fiber, with two grams per serving. While the vitamin C content in rhubarb won’t compete with some other types of fruit, such as strawberries or citrus, it does have a moderate amount.
However, what rhubarb does offer is antioxidants, which are those compounds that protect you against the damaging effects of free radicals. This includes polyphenols and anthocyanins, the antioxidant that gives rhubarb its pinkish-red hue, as well as proanthocyanidins. What does all this scientific jargon mean? In short, rhubarb has plenty of nutritional benefits, despite its lack of micronutrients.
Experiment with rhubarb beyond dessert with the lemonade recipe shared here, or by cooking it into a topping for chicken or fish. Simmer bite-sized pieces of the stalks in a saucepot with around 1/3 cup of orange juice, a little honey, and some dried rosemary until the rhubarb is soft. Drain it, and then mix the fruit with softened butter and spread it on a cooked chicken breast.
Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade
Serves 6
4 cups water
2 1/2 cups fresh rhubarb,trimmed, chopped
1 cup strawberries,stems removed, halved
1 cup sugar
5 lemons, juiced
2 limes, juiced
4 cups ice
Directions: Combine the water, rhubarb, strawberries, and sugar in a medium saucepot over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for five minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and use the back of a spoon to crush the fruit in the pot. Set aside for 10 minutes to let it rest. Strain the mixture through a sieve, using the spoon to press firmly against the strainer to get as much liquid out as possible. Discard the solids and cool the mixture in the fridge. In a pitcher, combine the strawberry-rhubarb mixture, lemon juice, and lime juice and stir to combine. Add the ice, and garnish with fresh rhubarb, strawberries, and slices of lemon and lime. Serve immediately.
