Spring is rhubarb time – until June 24th, St. John’s Day, to be exact. The stalks will still grow and mature, but should not be harvested after this point. Because the older the rhubarb gets, the higher its oxalic acid content. Therefore, one should concentrate on the young, freshly harvested rhubarb, which refines every compote, every cake, jam and more with its acidity. The special plus point: the pink sticks consist of 90 percent water.
However, the remaining ten percent pack a punch: They contain revitalizing minerals such as magnesium, potassium, iron and phosphorus. Thanks to their rich vitamin C and B depots, rhubarb stalks help to strengthen skin, hair and nerve cells. On top of that, they are low in calories, high in fiber and therefore very filling. 100 grams have just 13 calories and 0.1 grams of fat.
A popular medical product
Before rhubarb, which actually comes from East Asia, found its way into Europe, it was a popular medical product. In its homeland, it was mainly processed into a powder that stimulates digestion – and this property is still used today, and the fruity vegetable stalks are still used to purify the body.
The English discovered that the stalks are also edible – and only 250 years ago. They were also the ones who brought the vegetables to mainland Europe. And yet: around 100 years ago, rhubarb as a vegetable had to struggle with the prejudice of its name: Rheum Barbarum, barbarian root. Consumed in normal amounts, rhubarb is safe for most people to consume. Anyone who tends to form kidney stones should avoid rhubarb because of the oxalic acid already mentioned.
Be sure to remove leaves
Incidentally, raw rhubarb is not edible, it should be cooked. This also reduces the oxalic acid content, which, however, passes into the cooking water. Before cooking, be sure to remove the leaves and cut off the top and bottom ends of the stems generously. Then wash the rhubarb stalks thoroughly under cold water. While red rhubarb doesn’t need to be peeled, the green stalks should be skinned.
To do this, simply detach the shell at one end of the rod and clamp it between your thumb and the tip of the knife. Then pull off the shell along with the hard threads along its entire length.
Rhubarb punch with mint
Ingredients:
For 500 ml rhubarb syrup:
800 g rhubarb, 500 ml water, zest of 1 organic lemon,
300 grams of sugar
For the punch: 10 mint leaves, ½ organic lemon, 500 ml chilled sparkling wine, 400 ml chilled dry white wine, 1 liter chilled sparkling water
Preparation:
For the syrup, wash the rhubarb, clean and cut into large pieces. Place in a saucepan with the water and lemon zest and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Then pour into a sieve and collect the rhubarb juice.
Bring the rhubarb juice and sugar to the boil, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the syrup into screw-top bottles and leave to cool
to let.
For the bowl, wash and roughly chop the mint. Wash lemon and cut in half. Mix the rhubarb syrup, sparkling wine, white wine and water in a large bowl.
Strawberry ice cubes: Halve 10 strawberries, place in ice cube molds together with 20 mint leaves, fill up with water and freeze in the freezer for about two hours to make 20 ice cubes.
Source: Nachrichten
