My well esablished crown of rhubarb is very vigorous and the stems look
inviting. Is it
wise to pick and stew some of the stems at this time or should they be left
alone?

TIA

Will

"Will" wrote in message
...
My well esablished crown of rhubarb is very vigorous and the stems look
inviting. Is it
wise to pick and stew some of the stems at this time or should they be
left alone?

TIA

Will

If they're not picked they'll only rot. I picked a few last week, leaving
lots of younger ones to grow on, and they're now in the freezer ready for
instant use.

They're not pink and tender like the early rhubarb stems but they're just as
useful for eating as winter puddings.

Mary

"Will" wrote in message
My well esablished crown of rhubarb is very vigorous and the stems
look
inviting. Is it
wise to pick and stew some of the stems at this time or should they
be left
alone?

I'd eat them.

Farm1 writes
"Will" wrote in message
My well esablished crown of rhubarb is very vigorous and the stems
look
inviting. Is it
wise to pick and stew some of the stems at this time or should they
be left
alone?

I'd eat them.

The theory is
1) don't pick late in the season because it weakens the crown for next
year - this shouldn't be a problem in your case
2) don't pick late in the season because oxalic acid levels in the stems
are higher


--
Kay

"K" wrote in message
...
Farm1 writes
"Will" wrote in message
My well esablished crown of rhubarb is very vigorous and the stems
look
inviting. Is it
wise to pick and stew some of the stems at this time or should they
be left
alone?

I'd eat them.

The theory is
1) don't pick late in the season because it weakens the crown for next
year - this shouldn't be a problem in your case
2) don't pick late in the season because oxalic acid levels in the stems
are higher


--
Kay

and when you do pull the stems for cooking, pull them as late in the day as
possible as they would have stored the sugar in their stems during the
sunshine period and are much sweeter :-))

Mike


--
.................................................. .........
Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
www.rnshipmates.co.uk
www.nsrafa.com

K wrote:
Farm1 writes
"Will" wrote in message
My well esablished crown of rhubarb is very vigorous and the stems
look
inviting. Is it
wise to pick and stew some of the stems at this time or should they
be left
alone?

I'd eat them.

The theory is
1) don't pick late in the season because it weakens the crown for next
year - this shouldn't be a problem in your case
2) don't pick late in the season because oxalic acid levels in the stems
are higher

I think there are nicer things available at this time of year than
inferior rhubarb. Oxalic acid in the diet is on the whole not good
news, since the body's way of getting rid of it is to combine with
one's blood calcium. The older we get, the more important it is to keep
up the calcium. Another nifty trick it plays is that the excreted
compound, calcium oxalate, isn't water-soluble, so the crystals can
collect in your waterworks -- this is worse for male animals, which
have a longer and narrower tube, and presumably also in men.

That said, I find it hard to believe that an occasional crumble made
with greenish rhubarb would make any difference. If in doubt, a calcium
tablet or two should prevent the oxalic getting into the blood: it'll
combine in the gut and, because the oxalate is insoluble, pass out
through the bowel instead of going into the bloodstream.

--
Mike.

Mike Lyle writes

I think there are nicer things available at this time of year than
inferior rhubarb. Oxalic acid in the diet is on the whole not good
news, since the body's way of getting rid of it is to combine with
one's blood calcium. The older we get, the more important it is to keep
up the calcium. Another nifty trick it plays is that the excreted
compound, calcium oxalate, isn't water-soluble, so the crystals can
collect in your waterworks

And also, apparently, in your joints

-- this is worse for male animals, which
have a longer and narrower tube, and presumably also in men.

That said, I find it hard to believe that an occasional crumble made
with greenish rhubarb would make any difference. If in doubt, a calcium
tablet or two should prevent the oxalic getting into the blood: it'll
combine in the gut and, because the oxalate is insoluble, pass out
through the bowel instead of going into the bloodstream.

I was brought up to believe that one should always eat custard or some
similar milky substance with rhubarb, so that the oxalic acid would
combine with the calcium in that rather than the calcium in you..
Whether this is any more effective than eating spinach for iron, I
haven't a clue.

--
Kay

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
oups.com...

K wrote:
Farm1 writes
"Will" wrote in message
My well esablished crown of rhubarb is very vigorous and the stems
look
inviting. Is it
wise to pick and stew some of the stems at this time or should they
be left
alone?

I'd eat them.

The theory is
1) don't pick late in the season because it weakens the crown for next
year - this shouldn't be a problem in your case
2) don't pick late in the season because oxalic acid levels in the stems
are higher

I think there are nicer things available at this time of year than
inferior rhubarb. Oxalic acid in the diet is on the whole not good
news, since the body's way of getting rid of it is to combine with
one's blood calcium. The older we get, the more important it is to keep
up the calcium. Another nifty trick it plays is that the excreted
compound, calcium oxalate, isn't water-soluble, so the crystals can
collect in your waterworks -- this is worse for male animals, which
have a longer and narrower tube, and presumably also in men.

That said, I find it hard to believe that an occasional crumble made
with greenish rhubarb would make any difference. If in doubt, a calcium
tablet or two should prevent the oxalic getting into the blood: it'll
combine in the gut and, because the oxalate is insoluble, pass out
through the bowel instead of going into the bloodstream.

--
Mike.

I should be OK then -always have my rhubarb with cream :-)

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
oups.com...

K wrote:
Farm1 writes
"Will" wrote in message
My well esablished crown of rhubarb is very vigorous and the stems
look
inviting. Is it
wise to pick and stew some of the stems at this time or should they
be left
alone?

I'd eat them.

The theory is
1) don't pick late in the season because it weakens the crown for next
year - this shouldn't be a problem in your case
2) don't pick late in the season because oxalic acid levels in the stems
are higher

I think there are nicer things available at this time of year than
inferior rhubarb.

There are LOTS of things!

.... if only all those frozen plums ... :-)

Mary

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
K wrote:
Farm1 writes
"Will" wrote in message
My well esablished crown of rhubarb is very vigorous and the
stems look
inviting. Is it wise to pick and stew some of the stems at
this time or should they
be left alone?

I'd eat them.

The theory is
1) don't pick late in the season

I think there are nicer things available at this time of year than
inferior rhubarb.

Actually it was a question that I made a mistake in answering. I'd
sorted the ng by some other form other than "sent" and replied to an
old post from 10 September. (Mind you, I'd still eat rhubarb at any
time that it looked good - I love the stuff)

In article .com, Mike
Lyle writes
Another nifty trick it plays is that the excreted compound, calcium
oxalate, isn't water-soluble, so the crystals can collect in your
waterworks -- this is worse for male animals, which have a longer and
narrower tube, and presumably also in men.

Are not men male animals? grin
--
Chris