Content
- Poisonous rhubarb - mistaken belief or fact?
- Oxalic acid - the harmless culprit
- First harvest with less oxalic acid
- No influence of the bloom on the poison content
- Tips & Tricks
Poisonous rhubarb - mistaken belief or fact?
Since rhubarb made it to the menu, is spoken about its poison content. Is raw rhubarb poisonous when it blooms or from June? Find out here how it actually is ordered to poisonous rhubarb.
Oxalic acid - the harmless culprit
In addition to many valuable vitamins and nutrients, rhubarb contains oxalic acid. This substance hinders the absorption of iron in the body, which is of concern to infants and kidney patients. In addition, oxalic acid attacks the enamel and binds calcium in the organism.
What seems dramatic at first sight, of course, only applies in high doses and under unusual conditions.
If rhubarb is cooked, the proportion of oxalic acid decreases again compared to fresh produce. Roughly speaking, a person weighing 60 kilograms would have to eat a whopping 36 kilos of fresh rhubarb to harm himself.
First harvest with less oxalic acid
The content of oxalic acid builds up slowly in rhubarb only during the vegetation period. This particularly affects the shell. As a result, the harvest in April has only a minimal amount of the toxic substance.
It is recommended to peel the stems carefully at the end of the rhubarb season. After the St. John's Day, June 24, traditionally no harvest takes place. This preserves the vitality of the plant and prevents the consumption of contaminated stems.
No influence of the bloom on the poison content
There is a persistent rumor amongst amateur gardeners that rhubarb should no longer be eaten after flowering. The fact is that the beautiful flower and the oxalic acid contained have nothing to do with each other.
The consumption of fresh rhubarb does not have to be avoided after flowering. It would be a pity to limit the already short season due to false information.
Tips & Tricks
Enjoy rhubarb with dairy products, such as a light vanilla sauce. The calcium in the milk binds the already very small amount of oxalic acid as insoluble calcium oxalate and precipitates it completely.
GTH