Under the snow

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imageWill the 40 year old rhubarb plant in my yard ever die?  I don’t even eat the stuff… the snow is still waist high but the darn rhubarb is already budding!

A quick addition to this post from Explore Superior

Three little known rhubarb facts from Wikipedia (now you’ll look especially smart around the water cooler today):

  • Rhubarb damaged by severe cold should not be eaten, as it may be high in oxalic acid, which migrates from the leaves and can cause illness.
  • Rhubarb is usually considered a vegetable. In the United States, however, a New York court decided in 1947 that since it was used in the United States as a fruit, it counted as a fruit for the purposes of regulations and duties. A side effect was a reduction on imported rhubarb tariffs, as tariffs were higher for vegetables than fruits.
  • Rhubarb also contains glycosides—especially rhein, glucorhein, and emodin, which impart cathartic and laxative properties. It is hence useful as a cathartic in case of constipation.

 




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