Rhubarb is one of England’s favourite fruits (even though it isn’t!) Also popular in Scandinavia, it’s actually a vegetable with thick stalks and toxic leaves (to all creatures, don’t even compost them – just bin to naturally biodegrade). Too bitter to eat raw, you have to cook it with a little natural sugar. Roasted Rhubarb & Coconut Cream (Natalie Penny) is a great way to balance tart and sweet. The dish is warmed with fiery ginger (prep the night before, to pour the juices over breakfast granola).
Rhubarb is high in oxalic acid, so do not eat if you have gastro conditions like Crohn’s disease, colitis, IBS or issues with kidneys. Keep rhubarb away from pets, again due to oxalic acid.
Most rhubarb in England grows in Yorkshire’s ‘rhubarb triangle or Yorkshire (Wakefield is home to an annual rhubarb festival). The rhubarb is grown in dark sheds for a sweet soft plant, harvesting is even done by candlelight! Years ago, there was even a Rhubarb Express Train that would take rhubarb from the Yorkshire village of Ardsley to Covent Garden and Spitalfields markets in London (only stopped during a rail strike in the early 60s).
If you’ve never tasted rhubarb before, then try it! It’s impossible to describe, as it tastes like nothing else. Even when cooked, it’s tart and tangy, but with a unique flavour that is all its own. Rhubarb grows in two crops (‘forced rhubarb’ is harvested earlier in the year with a more light pink stalk and is more mild in flavour). Spring rhubarb has deep red stalks and a stronger flavour.
Good flavours to complement are strawberries and orange, plus spices like ginger and cinnamon. Try adding it to vegan bread-and-butter-pudding. It’s nice simply stewed with vegan custard or is good in fruit fools or of course, the traditional rhubarb crumble.
How to Buy & Store Rhubarb
Rhubarb does not keep well, so eat fresh rhubarb within a day or two, and keep it in the fridge (don’t remove the leaves until eating, it will last longer). The best places to buy rhubarb are of course from farm shops, though you may also find it in community gardens or of course you could grow your own (learn how to make your garden safe for pets, to know toxic plants and other hazards to avoid).
How to Prepare Rhubarb
As mentioned above, you have to remove the toxic leaves (just bin them, they can harm garden creatures in the compost bin). You can strip them away with a sharp knife after washing, then slice the stalks (you don’t need to peel forced rhubarb, just wash, top and tail the stalks, and slice). For general cooking, just stew for around 10 minutes to use in recipes.
Simple Plant-Based Rhubarb Recipes
Use vegan butters with no palm oil. Use a reusable silicone baking liner or unbleached parchment paper (in compostable packaging). Keep recipes away from pets, due to toxic ingredients.
Homemade Strawberry Rhubarb Sorbet (Crumbs & Caramel) only needs a few simple ingredients. This recipe needs sugar (to stop it going rock-hard) and salt (to balance flavour) but is delicious and lasts a week or two in the freezer (away from the door).
Vegan Rhubarb Fool (Natalie Penny) is the quintessential summer dessert. This very simple recipe swaps cream for whipped coconut yoghurt, and adds rosewater for a light fragrance. Top with chopped pistachios if wished.
These Rhubarb Muffins (Good Eatings) are by a Swedish wholefoods chef. Made with oats and dessicated coconut, they are sweetened naturally with maple syrup and coconut sugar, and contain apple sauce to bind in place of egg. Rhubarb chunks are folded into the smooth batter, then baked for 20 minutes, then cooled before loosening from the tin. Makes 15 muffins (serve with vegan custard).
This Blood Orange Cardamom Pound Cake (Natalie Penny) is topped with spiced roasted rhubarb (sweetened with sugar or maple syrup. Use leftovers on porridge, yoghurt, custard or ice-cream.
