The red vegetable sticks are popular with us as "sweet fruit". However, before they are processed into jam in a saucepan or used as a fruity topping for a cake, they should first be carefully peeled. The disturbing threads also have to give way.

Rhubarb is not actually peeled

Oxalic acid ensures a short fresh season

In the spring, rhubarb can be found fresh in the fruit and vegetable sections of supermarkets. The red, crunchy spears await buyers, who mostly use them for desserts, although rhubarb is actually a vegetable.

Anyone who grows rhubarb in their own garden knows what wonderfully large and strong leaves the plant develops. However, these are not eaten because the content of harmful oxalic acid in them is very high.

Oxalic acid is also available in the sticks, but at a lower concentration. Most of it sits just below the shell, which is one reason why the sticks should be shelled. Since the concentration of oxalic acid in all parts of the plant increases over time, rhubarb is only harvested until June 24th, St. John's Day.

tips

If you love rhubarb, you don't have to do without it after June 24th. The red sticks freeze very well.

Prepare rhubarb sticks

In trading only the red rhubarb sticks are offered. On the other hand, you have to cut away the leaves from your own harvest before you process the vegetables further. The stalks are severed just below the base of the leaf. After that, you will have to do the following:

  1. Either clean the poles thoroughly under water or wipe them clean with a damp kitchen towel. All debris should be removed.
  2. To dry, place the sticks on a kitchen towel that is good at absorbing moisture.
  3. Trim the dried rod ends as far as necessary.

Peel or pull strings?

Basically, rhubarb is not peeled properly, as we know it from other types of vegetables. Rather, the outer fibers are intended to be pulled off the rods. In this context, one often speaks of "pulling strings". For perfect rhubarb enjoyment, you should not do without it, even if the curtain is time-consuming.

  • Filaments remain fibrous even when cooked
  • are uncomfortable when eating
  • Most of the oxalic acid is removed with them

Rhubarb is peeled raw because the toughest stalks are the easiest to remove. When cooked, rhubarb becomes soft and difficult to peel. In addition, it is usually cut into bite-sized pieces or is already part of a finished meal.

Kitchen tool needed

All you need to peel the rhubarb stalks is a small knife with a sharp blade. With thicker sticks, a vegetable peeler can also be helpful, as it can be used to peel off the peel very thinly. Nevertheless, check whether the underlying threads are also caught.

How to properly "peel" rhubarb

With the tips and tricks described below, pulling the threads should work without any problems.

  1. It is best to put the knife on the thicker end of the rod.
  2. Grasp a piece of the shell with the knife and pull it to the other end of the stick. So you have pulled off a whole strip.
  3. Reapply the knife to the end of the stick, in a different spot that hasn't already been peeled, and remove the next strip.
  4. Continue the process until the rhubarb stalk is free of threads all around.
  5. Remove the annoying threads from all the rhubarb stalks one by one.

The strength of the drawn threads can vary, because it depends on the thickness of each rod.

With young spears, peeling is not a must

Young stalks are usually thin and also have a thin shell, under which the tough threads have not yet developed properly. In addition, the oxalic acid concentration is lower than in thick sticks. Such rods do not necessarily have to be peeled.

If you peel a thin stick, you will immediately notice whether there are threads in it. If not, you can skip the peeling process altogether. By the way, green sticks naturally have much more oxalic acid than the red ones.

Storage of peeled sticks

Rhubarb should always be peeled immediately before preparation. If this is unexpectedly delayed, the rods can dry out. Wrap them in a damp kitchen towel and place them in the crisper of the refrigerator.

Conclusion for fast readers:

  • Season: Only until June 24th, after that the amount of oxalic acid is too high
  • Usage: Poles only; leaves have too much acid; are inedible
  • Peeling: A must just before preparation; removes tough threads; reduces oxalic acid
  • Preparation: remove leaves; cut dry end; wash thoroughly
  • Paring Tool: Small, sharp kitchen knife; Peeler for thick sticks
  • Step 1: Put the knife on the thicker end of the stick and grab some peel
  • Step 2: Pull the shell off the pole in one long strip
  • Step 3: Repeat the process until the stick is peeled all the way around
  • Young stalks: have little oxalic acid and hardly any filaments; do not need to be peeled
  • Tip: Rhubarb freezes well and can be enjoyed after the season is over

The garden journal freshness ABC

How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?

The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:

  • as a free PDF file to print out yourself

Category:

Vegetable garden