A very interesting plant...

This is rhubarb. I bought a bunch at the Burwood Fruit Market for $3.50. It's a very interesting plant because it is both poisonous and edible. The ruby red stalks taste quite nice when cooked with sugar. However the green leaves are poisonous and can cause toxic poisoning when ingested.Some organic garderners use the leaves to make a natural pesticide for their gardens. Since I don't have a garden, the leaves are of no use to me at all. So into the bin they go.

For the stalks, this is what I did with them...

Take a few stalks of rhubarb (remember to discard the leaves which are poisonous). Dice the stalks and place in a baking dish with generous amounts of sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice, then bake for 20-30 minutes in a medium hot oven. Serve with fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and pastry triangles. Perfect for afternoon tea. What does it taste like? Well, I personally find rhubarb just a 'leetle' too sour. Even with the indecent amounts of sugar I added to the recipe, there was still a distinct soury edge to it. The whipped cream helps to tone down the soury edge a bit.

I think the sweet and soury taste is clearly a personal preference (e.g. my friend Janice would absolutely love it because she's always had a weakness for sour things). All in all, it's not bad at all really.