Rhubarb

Botanically a vegetable, pink-stalked rhubarb (sometimes called pie plant) is treated by cooks as a fruit, appearing in sweet pies, tarts and all manner of cold desserts. The umbrella-like green leaves are poisonous and so are usually removed before sale. Rhubarb flourishes almost untended in cold and temperate climates alike, but it can be forced so that it is available in markets of northern countries as early as January. The thin, bright stems of the forced varieties are generally tender, but the large stems of some tougher outdoor varieties may need peeling like celery, with a vegetable peeler.