If rhubarb leaves are too toxic to eat because of the oxalic acid, why do we eat these other vegetables? Why are we not warned that carrots are as poisonous as rhubarb leaves, and that spinach is twice as poisonous? The reality is that oxalic acid is not as poisonous as people believe.

Some other foods that have high levels of oxalic acid include tea, coffee, draft beer, chocolate, berries and tofu.

http://www.gardenmyths.com/oxalic-acid-rhubarb-leaves-harm-you/

A cup of tea has about 15 milligrams of oxalic acid.

A small serve of rhubarb leaves (say, 100 grams), has about 1000 milligrams of oxalic acid.

The dose makes the poison.

buffy said:

The dose makes the poison.

Arsenic is used as a tonic in some doses & a poison in others.

wookiemeister said:

If rhubarb leaves are too toxic to eat because of the oxalic acid, why do we eat these other vegetables? Why are we not warned that carrots are as poisonous as rhubarb leaves, and that spinach is twice as poisonous? The reality is that oxalic acid is not as poisonous as people believe.

Some other foods that have high levels of oxalic acid include tea, coffee, draft beer, chocolate, berries and tofu.

http://www.gardenmyths.com/oxalic-acid-rhubarb-leaves-harm-you/

Try nibbling some oxalis, a common weed that looks like clover. Oxalis

The delicious tart taste of oxalis is due to oxalic acid. Tastes a bit like citric acid.

Oxalis tastes much nicer than rhubarb leaves. I find that the seed pods of oxalis are the nicest, but the leaves and stems are easier to find and almost as tasty. The flowers of oxalis are pretty bland, but otherwise not objectionable.

From wikipedia about the plant oxalis:

> A characteristic of members of this genus is that they contain oxalic acid (whose name references the genus), giving the leaves and flowers a sour taste which can make them refreshing to chew. In very large amounts, oxalic acid may be considered slightly toxic, interfering with proper digestion and kidney function. However, oxalic acid is also present in more commonly consumed foods such as spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, grapefruit, chives, and rhubarb, among many others. General scientific consensus seems to be that the risk of sheer toxicity, actual poisoning from oxalic acid, in persons with normal kidney function is “wildly unlikely”.

Soursob, sweet and sour plant. My siblings all used to chew that. I never liked it.

And I’m still not going to eat rhubarb leaves…

buffy said:

Soursob, sweet and sour plant. My siblings all used to chew that. I never liked it.

And I’m still not going to eat rhubarb leaves…

If the stems require all that sugar, surely it is all a waste of garden space and gardener’s time and money.

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

Soursob, sweet and sour plant. My siblings all used to chew that. I never liked it.

And I’m still not going to eat rhubarb leaves…

If the stems require all that sugar, surely it is all a waste of garden space and gardener’s time and money.

Not if you like rhubarb crumble as I do.

AwesomeO said:

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

Soursob, sweet and sour plant. My siblings all used to chew that. I never liked it.

And I’m still not going to eat rhubarb leaves…

If the stems require all that sugar, surely it is all a waste of garden space and gardener’s time and money.

Not if you like rhubarb crumble as I do.

I equate eating rhubarb with cold showers. Both are possible but why would you want to?

Tamb said:

AwesomeO said:

roughbarked said:

If the stems require all that sugar, surely it is all a waste of garden space and gardener’s time and money.

Not if you like rhubarb crumble as I do.

I equate eating rhubarb with cold showers. Both are possible but why would you want to?

Rich tapestry.

AwesomeO said:

Tamb said:

AwesomeO said:

Not if you like rhubarb crumble as I do.

I equate eating rhubarb with cold showers. Both are possible but why would you want to?

Rich tapestry.

Head in gas oven type of rich tapestry IMO.

AwesomeO said:

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

Soursob, sweet and sour plant. My siblings all used to chew that. I never liked it.

And I’m still not going to eat rhubarb leaves…

If the stems require all that sugar, surely it is all a waste of garden space and gardener’s time and money.

Not if you like rhubarb crumble as I do.

seconded.

Tamb said:

AwesomeO said:

roughbarked said:

If the stems require all that sugar, surely it is all a waste of garden space and gardener’s time and money.

Not if you like rhubarb crumble as I do.

I equate eating rhubarb with cold showers. Both are possible but why would you want to?

Takes you back to prep school?

or cold rhubarb and cold custard.

I also like anchovies and asparagus, not together but that would probably work, but tastes that other people find inexplicable.

Witty Rejoinder said:

Tamb said:

AwesomeO said:

Not if you like rhubarb crumble as I do.

I equate eating rhubarb with cold showers. Both are possible but why would you want to?

Takes you back to prep school?

No. Before I bought the generator we’d lose power fro weeks after cyclones. Now I can heat the off peak water with the jenny.

AwesomeO said:

I also like anchovies and asparagus, not together but that would probably work, but tastes that other people find inexplicable.

Me too but I don’t think they’d go well together.

ChrispenEvan said:

or cold rhubarb and cold custard.

Thank the good lord it is about sixty years since I had either.

AwesomeO said:

I also like anchovies and asparagus, not together but that would probably work, but tastes that other people find inexplicable.

I don’t get what people like about anchovies but I eat asparagus raw from the garden but would never cook it myself. I’ll eat it in someone else’s cooking but will balk at asparagus bought from the shops or from cans.

Rhubarb is very pleasant lightly cooked in sweet sparkling wine. Also very nice in apple pies etc.

Bubblecar said:

Rhubarb is very pleasant lightly cooked in sweet sparkling wine. Also very nice in apple pies etc.

I’d rather have the apple pie. You can kep the wine and the rhubarb.

roughbarked said:

Bubblecar said:

Rhubarb is very pleasant lightly cooked in sweet sparkling wine. Also very nice in apple pies etc.

I’d rather have the apple pie. You can kep the wine and the rhubarb.

Fine, but by your own admission you have a very limited diet.

Some of us like a vast range of foods.

I love rhubarb, and grew it in Armidale. I miss my plant. It was so productive.

:(

Bubblecar said:

roughbarked said:

Bubblecar said:

Rhubarb is very pleasant lightly cooked in sweet sparkling wine. Also very nice in apple pies etc.

I’d rather have the apple pie. You can kep the wine and the rhubarb.

Fine, but by your own admission you have a very limited diet.

Some of us like a vast range of foods.

Yes. I am aware.

Michael V said:

I love rhubarb, and grew it in Armidale. I miss my plant. It was so productive.

:(

I don’t hate rhubarb. I simply would rather eat other things. I do hate the thought of custard though.

Buffy said something about dose. I agree with her. The wobblies eat rhubarb leaf.

As far as eating rhubarb goes in my childhood it was served for breakfast and dinner. At breakfast it was served as a compote. Tolerable. Or it was dumped on cornflakes. It would curdle. Intolerable.

I don’t mind various cakes and desserts made with rhubarb.

Rhubarb in the garden needs little care or expertise. It’s good plant for a home garden and kitchen. As long as it isn’t on cornflakes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalic_acid#Content_in_food_items

And references 30, 31.

https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/beltsville-md/beltsville-human-nutrition-research-center/nutrient-data-laboratory/docs/oxalic-acid-content-of-selected-vegetables/

(The table was originally published in Agriculture Handbook No. 8-11, Vegetables and Vegetable Products, 1984.)

http://www.jbc.org/content/126/1/43.full.pdf

(THE ORGANIC ACIDS OF RHUBARB (RHEUM HYBRIDUM)* III. THE BEHAVIOR OF THE ORGANIC ACIDS DURING CULTURE OF EXCISED LEAVES, J. Biol. Chem. 1938 126: 43-54)

Michael V said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalic_acid#Content_in_food_items

And references 30, 31.

https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/beltsville-md/beltsville-human-nutrition-research-center/nutrient-data-laboratory/docs/oxalic-acid-content-of-selected-vegetables/

(The table was originally published in Agriculture Handbook No. 8-11, Vegetables and Vegetable Products, 1984.)

http://www.jbc.org/content/126/1/43.full.pdf

(THE ORGANIC ACIDS OF RHUBARB (RHEUM HYBRIDUM)* III. THE BEHAVIOR OF THE ORGANIC ACIDS DURING CULTURE OF EXCISED LEAVES, J. Biol. Chem. 1938 126: 43-54)

purslane. ew.

I see Moll’s photo of a yellow-flowered Oxalis. I have a pink-flowered Oxalis here that has a pleasant acidic flavour.

Also Portulaca oleracea (Purslane, Munyeroo) is nice, too, and is high in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin A. I now have a couple of large plant-pots dedicated to Munyeroo. It transplants easily from the garden, where it springs up in unexpected places. I use Munyeroo in scrambled eggs, salads and stir-fries.

sarahs mum said:

Michael V said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalic_acid#Content_in_food_items

And references 30, 31.

https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/beltsville-md/beltsville-human-nutrition-research-center/nutrient-data-laboratory/docs/oxalic-acid-content-of-selected-vegetables/

(The table was originally published in Agriculture Handbook No. 8-11, Vegetables and Vegetable Products, 1984.)

http://www.jbc.org/content/126/1/43.full.pdf

(THE ORGANIC ACIDS OF RHUBARB (RHEUM HYBRIDUM)* III. THE BEHAVIOR OF THE ORGANIC ACIDS DURING CULTURE OF EXCISED LEAVES, J. Biol. Chem. 1938 126: 43-54)

purslane. ew.

Really? Don’t like it?

Michael V said:

sarahs mum said:

Michael V said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalic_acid#Content_in_food_items

And references 30, 31.

https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/beltsville-md/beltsville-human-nutrition-research-center/nutrient-data-laboratory/docs/oxalic-acid-content-of-selected-vegetables/

(The table was originally published in Agriculture Handbook No. 8-11, Vegetables and Vegetable Products, 1984.)

http://www.jbc.org/content/126/1/43.full.pdf

(THE ORGANIC ACIDS OF RHUBARB (RHEUM HYBRIDUM)* III. THE BEHAVIOR OF THE ORGANIC ACIDS DURING CULTURE OF EXCISED LEAVES, J. Biol. Chem. 1938 126: 43-54)

purslane. ew.

Really? Don’t like it?

Na. Pass on the purslane.

I’m not a huge fan of rhubarb, but freshly picked and cooked while still screaming, is altogether different from shop bought stuff. Same goes for silverbeet. Can be bitter, but rarely if fresh picked and steamed.

And Pink April is quite acceptable. Stewed rhubarb swirled through custard and chilled.

“Some other foods that have high levels of oxalic acid include tea, coffee, draft beer, chocolate, berries and tofu.”

I assume by “draft beer” you mean draught beer.
How do levels of oxalic acid (if there are any) differ from bottled beer?
As a brewer I can assure you that bottled and draught beer are one and the same. Draught simply means that the beer is dispensed from a keg rather than a bottle or a can, the substance is the same.

AwesomeO said:

I also like anchovies and asparagus, not together but that would probably work, but tastes that other people find inexplicable.

Are there sweat shops where children with very small hands gut and fillet anchovies?

gaghalfrunt said:

“Some other foods that have high levels of oxalic acid include tea, coffee, draft beer, chocolate, berries and tofu.”

I assume by “draft beer” you mean draught beer.
How do levels of oxalic acid (if there are any) differ from bottled beer?
As a brewer I can assure you that bottled and draught beer are one and the same. Draught simply means that the beer is dispensed from a keg rather than a bottle or a can, the substance is the same.

gag: I’m not particularly defending the statement but note the following, which might explain a pertinent difference between bottled and draft beer. Not because it is inherently higher in oxalate, but because there is a risk of a chunk of oxalate chipping off.

https://www.micromatic.com/importance-beer-line-cleaning
“Beer stone – The raw materials, grains and water, that are used in the brewing process contain calcium. Oxalic acids or salts are present in hops and may be created during the process of changing barley into malt. The combination of these ingredients and the fact that beer is dispensed at cold temperatures may result in Calcium Oxalate deposits known as beer stone. Beer stone will build up and eventually flake off on the inside of the beer tubing if the system is not properly maintained. High amounts of beer stone may also have a negative effect on taste. These flakes are often grey or brown in color.:”