Rhubarb

Although botanically classified as a vegetable, rhubarb is used in cooking as fruit. Rhubarb is usually sold with its leaves on, and although this helps prevent the stalks from wilting, the leaves should be removed before cooking as they contain poisonous oxalic acid. The edible part of rhubarb is the crisp, pink or red stalks. These can be cut into pieces and stewed or used in pies, crumbles, ice creams and jams. Any tough stalks should be peeled first to remove the tough fibres.