Rhubarb

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It is or was common for a crowd of extras in acting to shout the word "rhubarb" repeatedly and out of step with each other, to cause the effect of general hubbub. As a result, the word "rhubarb" sometimes is used to mean "length of superfluous text in speaking or writing", or a general term to refer to irrelevant chatter by chorus or extra actors.
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Varieties
Rhubarb stalks grow in a spectrum of colors from red to green. In between colors are often called pink or speckled.

Carleton Club, Canada Red, Chipman, Cherry Red, Crimson Red, Egyptian Queen, German Wine, Glaskin's Perpetual, Hawke's Champagne, Holstein Bloodred, Linnaeus, Macdonald, Mammoth Red, Mammoth Green, Monarch, Paragon, Prince Albert, Redstick, Riverside Giant Ruby, St. Martin's, Strawberry, Sunrise, Sutton, Tilden, Tottle's Improved, Timperely Early, Valentine and Victoria

In the kitchen, rhubarb adds a zippy signature to pies and tarts that only rhubarb can do. When combined with strawberries, raspberries, apples, and other fruits, the flavor only gets better. Rhubarb also makes a terrific sauce for chicken, venison, halibut and salmon. Adding diced rhubarb to muffins and biscuit recipes makes them sing with flavor without making the batter runny. Rhubarb, like apples, hold moisture well in recipes.

How To
· Rhubarb - Selecting & Storing

Health Benefits
Rhubarb is 95% water and contains a fair source of potassium, contributes minor amounts of vitamins, and is low in sodium. Rhubarb's crisp sour stalks are rich in vitamin C, dietary fiber and calcium, although the calcium is combined with oxalic acid and so is not easily absorbed by the body. Rhubarb is somewhat acidic (pH 3.1-3.2) but in most recipes this is normally offset by sugar. One cup diced Rhubarb contains about 26 calories.

Season
The time of harvest is dependent upon the variety as well as on the location and temperature. With varieties that produce many seed stalks, harvesting should begin before the seeds start to turn color.

Generally, Rhubarb is better from December to March than it is during its natural season, which lasts from March through October. That's because the winter crop is forced, or transplanted from the fields to dark warm hothouses. In this environment, the plants grow pretty pink stalks (rather than red or green ones) they are sweeter in flavor.

History
The plant is indigenous to Asia, and many suggest that it was often used by the Mongolians; particularly, the Tatars tribes of the Gobi. The plant has grown wild along the banks of the Volga for centuries; it may have been brought there by Asiatic tribes, such as the Scythians, Huns, Magyars or Mongols. Varieties of rhubarb have a long history as medicinal plants in traditional Chinese medicine, but the use of rhubarb as food is a relatively recent innovation, first recorded in 17th century England, after affordable sugar became available to common people.