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Do You Have To Peel Rhubarb? That’s How It Works

What do rhubarb and asparagus have in common? They are classified as vegetables, have a spear shape, and are harvested in the same season. Both have fibrous outer skin – but how do you remove the skin from the pink sticks? Here you can find out how to clean rhubarb properly and what alternatives to peeling there are!

Peeled or unpeeled?

That is the question! The skin of the rhubarb tastes woodier and more bitter the later the stalk is harvested. The fine rhubarb fibers also tend to get between the teeth if the vegetables are not peeled.

However, peeling is a tedious task, which is why you can do without it under the following circumstances:

  • very young, fine stalks
  • you want to preserve rhubarb
  • you enjoy the vegetables with yogurt or quark

Kitchen tip: Oxalic acid can be better processed by the body in combination with animal proteins from quark or yogurt. Fresh rhubarb with a quark cream and some honey is also a very healthy and delicious snack!

Young vegetables

The reason why you should definitely peel late rhubarb is because of the tiresome oxalic acid. This is mainly formed in the leaves of the rhubarb plant. If the shrub grows unharvested throughout spring and summer, the oxalic acid content in the stems will increase.

Oxalic acid is not toxic in moderation, but in high concentrations, it can cause digestive problems or strain the urinary tract because the body cannot process it properly. Most of the oxalic acid is in the peel, so you should only eat young vegetables unpeeled.

Rule of thumb: If the asparagus season is over on June 24th, you should no longer harvest the rhubarb in the garden.

On the one hand because of the oxalic acid, on the other hand, the delicious pink vegetables, like the asparagus, need time to grow for the new season.

Peeling rhubarb: instructions

  1. Remove the green leaves from the stems and clean them thoroughly under running water.
  2. Cut off the cut generously with a sharp knife.
  3. Using a kitchen knife, pull away the fibers of the skin from the point of intersection towards the base of the leaf.

Tip: If the rhubarb is still very flexible, you can also use the vegetable peeler to peel it and only remove the hard fibers with the kitchen knife.

If you don’t want to peel the rhubarb, you can alternatively clean the stalks:

  • Remove leafy greens
  • Cut off dry cut
  • Scald the sticks with boiling water or blanch them briefly
  • Rub the sticks vigorously with a coarse cloth (grandma’s kitchen towel).

This is how you skin the poles and can then process them further. This way of cleaning rhubarb preserves the coloring and is therefore often used for compotes or tarts.

Cook the rhubarb on its skin

If you have washed the stalks well, you can also cook them unpeeled if you want to make juice, syrup, jam, or compote. Be sure to drain off the cooking water completely before you use the blender or juicer! The oxalic acid is flushed out in the cooking water and the pink-colored vegetables remain more digestible.

Cooking for a long time can replace peeling as the skin’s fibers slowly soften.

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Written by John Myers

Professional Chef with 25 years of industry experience at the highest levels. Restaurant owner. Beverage Director with experience creating world-class nationally recognized cocktail programs. Food writer with a distinctive Chef-driven voice and point of view.

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