Rhubarb is treated more like a fruit than a vegetable, most often used for jellies and baked in desserts (mark your calendar – June 9 is National Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Day).

In fact, in 1947, New York declared rhubarb a fruit because that's how most people used it (and, it has been suggested, to save importers from taxes). But this tart veggie, low in sugar and a great source of dietary fiber, Vitamin K, Vitamin C and potassium, can also be a raw treat.

Check the farmers market for fresh, crisp stalks. Peel off stringy bits, and remove all the leaves before eating (and we mean all – they’re poisonous!). Try dipping stalks in agave nectar, or dice and sprinkle over yogurt. 

Or, take the salad route:

Ingredients

2 stalks rhubarb

1 medium cucumber, peeled

1tbsp fine sea salt

1 cup baby arugula

1 cup kale

juice of ½ lemon

½ cup mint leaves, shredded

Recipe

Cut the rhubarb and cucumber into thin slices.

Toss rhubarb and cucumber with salt, let stand for 10 minutes. Rinse and drain.

In a large bowl, toss the rhubarb and cucumber with the arugula and kale. Drizzle with lemon juice. Top with mint leaves.