Subversive Health

Spring Rhubarb growing in Ireland

This Spring in Ireland I was surprised by rhubarb. I hadn’t seen rhubarb growing since my great aunts died — but it seemed to be everywhere in Ireland. It was even a flavor of yogurt — yes, rhubarb at the bottom.

What had happened to rhubarb in the U.S.?

I started to grasp the extent of our loss of biodiversity when I learned that the gardens at Blenheim Palace used to grow 93 kinds of pears. 93 kinds of pears?

Of course that was 200 years ago and before the flood of citrus fruits. Still, it was a staggering number to me, as I grew up with one kind of pear — the Bartlett. Now I see 5 or 6 kinds of pears in the market — but, where are the other 87?

Back to rhubarb. One of the uses of rhubarb — because of its fiber — was as a “regulator.” But, alas, that has gone the way of prunes, or dried plums as they are now called. When I looked up recipes for rhubarb most of them made it into cakes, pies and bars. Here is one for a simple stewed rhubarb with only 1/4 cup of sugar for 3 cups of rhubarb.

So, a gentle encouragement to Diversify. Paleolithic people managed to consume around 800 kinds of food over the course of a year.  Hmmm.  Maybe it would be useful to keep a log and see just how many kinds of food are consumed?