Rhubarb is technically a vegetable, but it is used as a fruit. The long, thick pink or red celerylike stalks are the only edible portion of the plant. The leaves and roots should never be eaten. They contain oxalic acid and are toxic. Rhubarb stalks are not eaten raw. Cooked rhubarb is very tart and must be prepared with sugar.

• The simplest way to prepare rhubarb is to stew it with sugar and a little water. Stewed rhubarb may be served warm or cold as a dessert.
• Combine stewed rhubarb with an equal amount of whipped cream to make rhubarb fool, a popular English dessert.
• Rhubarb and strawberries combine well. They make a delicious filling for pies and cobblers.
• The tart flavor of rhubarb is complemented by apples, ginger, cinnamon, honey, maple syrup and pineapple.

Field-grown and hothouse-grown rhubarb are the two main varieties. Field-grown rhubarb has bright red stalks and green leaves. It is easily grown in home gardens. Hothouse-grown rhubarb has pink or light red stalks and yellow leaves. It is less stringy and slightly less tart than the field-grown variety.

Field-grown rhubarb is available from April through July and the hothouse variety from January through June. Rhubarb is also available frozen.

Choose rhubarb with crisp, straight firm stalks. Avoid limp stalks or ones that are obviously dried out.

1 pound rhubarb stalks = 3 cups pieces; 2 cups cooked.

Store rhubarb in the refrigerator in a plastic bag. It will keep for about three to five days. Cleaned and dried rhubarb stalks can be cut into 1-inch pieces and frozen in a plastic freezer bag for up to nine months.

Always discard leaves as they are poisonous. Wash stalks under cold running water, rubbing lightly with your fingertip if they are particularly dirty. Trim off the ends of the stalks. If the rhubarb is field grown, remove the fibrous strings. Cut the stalks into 1- or 2-inch pieces. Combine the pieces with a mixture of granulated sugar, a thickener and seasonings for use as fillings in pies and cobblers.