4 things you may not know about rhubarb

• An established patch of rhubarb can actively produce for more than 20 years.
• Rhubarb is a relative of buckwheat.
• Rhubarb leaves are poisonous, and rhubarb is never eaten raw.
• It’s sometimes called 'pie plant' because it’s so often used in pies.

1 tip you can't live without

• Main-crop rhubarb is much coarser than early rhubarb. Try freezing early rhubarb to last through the year. Chop stalks and place in heavy-duty freezer bags.

1 thing to remember at the grocery store

• Fresh stalks are crisp and flat. Avoid stalks that are turning from pink to green.

3 ways to try rhubarb right now

• Beat the heat with chilled rhubarb and orange soup.
• Try rhubarb chutney on the side with a Sunday pot roast.
• Mix rhubarb with sour cream in batter for summery pink muffins.

2 tools to get the most out of rhubarb

• A vegetable peeler to remove brown spots and strings from fibrous stalks.
• Sandi Vitt and Michael Hickman's cookbook, Rhubarb: More Than Just Pies.

3 varieties of rhubarb to cultivate

• Crimson Cherry (very red)
• Victoria (speckled pink)
• Riverside Giant (green)