Did you realize that rhubarb is classified as a vegetable? 

And while we eat the stalks the leaves are quite toxic?

 Did you know that Washington State has 175 acres of rhubarb cultivation? Some 92% of those acres are in Pierce County. Sumner boasts to be the Rhubarb Capital of the World. 

Who remembers sitting on the back stoop eating a stalk of fresh rhubarb dipped in sugar or honey? I surely do, as do my children. 

The Chinese called rhubarb “the great yellow” and have used it for medicinal purposes for nearly 2000 years. Yes, this hardy plant has been around for a long time. Bet you have a patch growing in a corner of your yard.

Rhubarb was used medicinally as a laxative. Back in the day, purging one’s system was a common component of many treatments…. riding the body of ill humors it was thought.

Rhubarb was harvested in Scotland in 1786 and came to America in the 1820s through New England. Rhubarb grows best where there is a few months of cold weather. 

Whether your favorite is rhubarb sauce or rhubarb pie, my guess is that rhubarb has a love-hate relationship with most people.

There are dozens of YouTube videos, and several websites, teaching how to grow, harvest, cook and prepare those delicious red stalks.