A stalk of rhubarb is like a tomato. It presents the conundrum: is it a fruit? Is it a vegetable? We eat it as a fruit because, on its own, it’s very, very tart, so we add sugar and sweeten it up.
But we eat the stalk of the plant, so technically it’s a vegetable. In fact, rhubarb stalks look like very large ribs of celery (except for the bright red color) and have a similar texture. The leaves are mildly toxic so trim them if there are any pieces left on the stalks you purchase.
Cooked with sugar, rhubarb stalks become juicy and offer a bright, tart-sweet flavor. Their appearance signals the start of spring, and they’re frequently at the market at the same time as the arrival of that other bright red fruit, the strawberry. It’s no coincidence many people have their first introduction to rhubarb in a strawberry-rhubarb pie.
Growing conditions aren’t quite right for rhubarb here in Atlanta, but it flourishes a little farther north. In the colder parts of the country, it’s the first fruit of the year.
Scott Frishman, co-owner of Nature’s Garden Express, and buyer Mitch Klasky like sourcing unusual spring vegetables, such as rhubarb, green garlic, spring onions, lamb’s lettuce and fiddlehead ferns. They find their customers expect them to be a little ahead of the culinary curve.
Nature’s Garden Express is just more than five years old. Each weekday, it delivers thousands of boxes of organic fruits, vegetables and other products to members living within a 50-mile radius of Atlanta.
The basis of the business is produce, although Nature’s Garden offers a wide range of organic products, such as dairy, eggs, coffee, meat and sustainably harvested seafood. Customers choose from boxes of fruit or vegetables or a box containing both, and add other products as needed.
A further refinement is to order the “local” box, which includes only organic produce grown within a day’s drive of Atlanta.
In the winter, about 15 percent of the produce offered fits that definition of local. By summer, it’s about half. Each week, Klasky reviews what’s available from around 50 farms to select what will be offered to Nature’s Garden Express customers.
He says rhubarb works in the produce mix because it’s so connected to the time of year it appears. Hothouse rhubarb is available throughout the summer, but the company likes having field-grown rhubarb available seasonally.
In early April, Nature’s Garden Express was sourcing its rhubarb from Organically Grown Company, a co-op based in Oregon offering the first rhubarb of the year. Klasky ordered 120 pounds the first week. Rhubarb should be on hand for customers until the end of May or beginning of June.
Frishman says the tart fruit reminds him of watermelon rind or a Granny Smith apple and suggests it makes great jam. Klasky says he’s a “pie guy” and will make a strawberry-rhubarb pie as his own first-of-spring treat.
Rhubarb will keep a week in your refrigerator, loosely wrapped in plastic wrap. The longer it’s kept, the more moisture it will lose. The stalks will become flabby. Try roasting chunks of rhubarb with a little sugar instead of stewing. The rhubarb holds its shape and becomes a compote that will keep another two weeks. Try the compote over ice cream or frozen yogurt where it’s bright acidity cuts the richness of the dairy dessert. Or serve it over your favorite pancakes or waffles in place of syrup.
At local farmers markets
Opening this week:
9 a.m.-noon Saturday, May 10. Serenbe Farmers and Artists Market, Palmeto. http://www.serenbefarms.com/food/market
Cooking demos:
9 a.m. Saturday, May 10. Chef Calvin Phan of Poor Callvin's. Morningside Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.morningsidemarket.com
10 a.m. Saturday, May 3. Chef Chris Hall of Local Three. Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com
For sale at local farmers markets
Vegetables and fruit: arugula and arugula blossoms, Asian greens, asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celeriac, celery, chard, collards and collard florets, escarole, fennel, frisee, green garlic, herbs, kale and kale florets, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, morels, mushrooms, mustard greens, pea tendrils, peas, radicchio, radishes, ramps, sorrel, spinach, spring onions, strawberries, sweet potatoes, torpedo onions, turnips
From local reports
Rhubarb Custard Pie
Hands on: 20 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Serves: 8
You can make a strawberry-rhubarb pie, but how about trying rhubarb on its own? This recipe features an easy tart dough that is pressed into the pan instead of being rolled out.
2 cups 1⁄2-inch pieces rhubarb
1 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1 1⁄2 cups plus 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1⁄2 cup cold shortening or unsalted butter
About 2 tablespoons ice water
3 large eggs
1⁄2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium bowl, toss rhubarb with 1 cup sugar, then move mixture to a colander set over a bowl to catch the juice. Let it rest at least 1 hour.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine 1 1/2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt. Pulse to blend. Add shortening or butter and pulse again until the mixture forms small crumbs. Pulse in 1 tablespoon of ice water, and then test the consistency of the dough by pinching it together. If it feels dry and crumbly, pulse in another tablespoon of ice water.
Move the mixture to a 9-inch pie pan and press it into an even layer over the bottom and up the sides. Pinch and flute the edges; chill the crust in the freezer as you prepare the filling.
After rhubarb has rested at least one hour, spread the pieces of rhubarb over the pastry in the pie pan. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, remaining 1⁄2 cup sugar, cream, remaining 3 tablespoons flour, melted butter, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the collected rhubarb juices and pour the mixture over the fruit in the pastry.
Bake the pie for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300 degrees. Continue baking 30 minutes or until custard is set and crust is golden brown. Let the pie cool before slicing and serving.
Adapted from a recipe in “Fresh Food Nation” by Martha Holmberg (The Taunton Press, $22.95).
Per serving: 454 calories (percent of calories from fat, 43), 6 grams protein, 60 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 22 grams fat (13 grams saturated), 139 milligrams cholesterol, 388 milligrams sodium.
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