Meal Pattern Minute: Rhubarb

Sometimes when operating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, you come across produce that stumps you and you may not know whether it is classified as a fruit or vegetable in the CACFP, such as avocado, tomatoes and rhubarb. Rhubarb is described as thick, tart, celery-like stalks, often used in cooking and baking.  Knowing this, how would you classify rhubarb when crediting it towards a meal component? The answer may surprise you!  

Tune in to this Meal Pattern Minute as Isabel Ramos-Lebron, MS, RDN, LD, discusses how and why rhubarb is categorized in the CACFP meal pattern. 

The USDA Food Buying Guide is a web-based, interactive tool that you can use to check for CACFP creditable meal components. You will notice once you do a search for rhubarb, it is categorized as a fruit. Buy why? See what USDA has to say about categorizing produce below. 

A number of foods that are considered fruits by botanists are part of the Vegetable Group. For example, tomatoes, avocados, eggplants, cucumbers, green peppers, zucchini, butternut squash, and others are classified as fruits by botanists because they are the fleshy plant part surrounding its seeds. However, for nutritional and culinary purposes, these foods are considered to be vegetables rather than fruits. The nutritional classification of foods considers not just botany, but a food's nutrient content, use in meals, and taste. The Fruit Group includes botanical fruits that are sweet and/or tart in taste--those which are usually thought of as fruits by consumers. The Vegetable Group, on the other hand, includes those botanical fruits that are not sweet or tart and are usually consumed along with other vegetables or as a vegetable. 

Never worked with rhubarb before or curious to try it?  Try out our  Rad Rhubarb recipe for inspiration! 

Want to share this video on Facebook? Click here, and then you'll find three icons along the right side of the screen. Click on the arrow, and you'll be able to choose whether you want to share it to your feed or to a group. You can also include a short note about why this Meal Pattern Minute is so important! Click on the "Post" button when you're finished, and that's it!