Just started the first batch of rhubarb, 4.5gal.

Trying to reslove whether or not to chalk this must has been a real
maze of reading and digging, hunting info on the net. There a few
items I suppose one could hanging the ol' hat on.

Rhubarb's oxalic acid content in the petiole varies widely.
Rhubarb, is generally consider the highest in OA.
Spinach and rhubarb wrestle for first place depending on the source of
the information.
Lots of veggies have OA. Lettuce for instance.
OA are especially bad if you have or are prone to kidney stones.
Too much OA can kill.
Stewed rhubarb has less OA than raw. This seems to be due to the loss
of juice during the stewing process. I don't think this advantage
would fit our uses as we retain the juices for making wine.

Below are a few sites containing bits and pieces of info on rhubarb
and OA.

My parents came up for the holiday. Brought 9 cases of 2 Buck Chuck.
I asked if they could fill the truck when they came up, looked pretty
good to me! The plum still has it's red color and is doing very
nicely.

Take Care,
Steve - Noobie
Oregon

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcom...er/oxalic.html

http://www.foodscience.ac.nz/researc...ning_food.html

http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/rhubarb-poison.html#TOC82

http://forum.kingsnake.com/res/messages/18621.html

http://www.r-biopharm.com/general/pr...oductlist&id=3

http://food.oregonstate.edu/a/rhubarb.html

http://www.bioscience.org/2003/v8/s/1082/tables.htm

http://merck.micromedex.com/index.as...e=BPM01NP07T07

http://www.andrews.edu/NUFS/literature%20reviews.html

My recommendation would be not to chalk. The oxalic acid is an
integrated
part of being a rhubarb. If you remove it you will miss an important
part of what makes rhubarb such a wonderful wine. As for the health
concern, unless
you were to drink excessive amounts af the wine (always a danger!) it
shouldn't
be of concern.

I have 4 G of rhubarb wine in secondary, now 5 month old. I freezed,
crushed, soaked with pectic enzyme, strained, adjusted and fermented.
I.e. no heat was used. It now has an extremely fresh fruity aroma, and
a nice, but not too dominant, taste of rhubarb. It will be a very good
"white" wine (although it is pink!).

regards
Martin


spud > wrote in message >. ..
> Just started the first batch of rhubarb, 4.5gal.
>
> Trying to reslove whether or not to chalk this must has been a real
> maze of reading and digging, hunting info on the net. There a few
> items I suppose one could hanging the ol' hat on.
>

I tend to agree with Martin on the chalking advice, seeing oxalic acid
as part of rhubarb's individual flavour profile.

I feel that the issue of toxicity is nothing to worry about provided
only cold extraction of the leaf petiole is used.

For more, see
http://members.tripod.com/~BRotter/S...es.htm#Rhubarb

Ben

I tend to agree with Martin on the chalking advice, seeing oxalic acid
as part of rhubarb's individual flavour profile.

I feel that the issue of toxicity is nothing to worry about provided
only cold extraction of the leaf petiole is used.

For more, see
http://members.tripod.com/~BRotter/S...es.htm#Rhubarb

Ben

I tend to agree with Martin on the chalking advice, seeing oxalic acid
as part of rhubarb's individual flavour profile.

I feel that the issue of toxicity is nothing to worry about provided
only cold extraction of the leaf petiole is used.

For more, see
http://members.tripod.com/~BRotter/S...es.htm#Rhubarb

Ben

"Dar V" > wrote in message
...
> Good-luck with your batch. I've made rhubarb wine, and I prefer to add
> chalk

LOL!!! Another chalker!!! I keep a pack of sticks in my supply tub.....
:-)

(calcium carbonate) to the batch, but that is me. Some people don't
> mind. You can always try it one way this time and a different way the
next.
> Darlene
> Wisconsin
>
> "spud" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Just started the first batch of rhubarb, 4.5gal.
> >
> > Trying to reslove whether or not to chalk this must has been a real
> > maze of reading and digging, hunting info on the net. There a few
> > items I suppose one could hanging the ol' hat on.
> >
> > Rhubarb's oxalic acid content in the petiole varies widely.
> > Rhubarb, is generally consider the highest in OA.
> > Spinach and rhubarb wrestle for first place depending on the source of
> > the information.
> > Lots of veggies have OA. Lettuce for instance.
> > OA are especially bad if you have or are prone to kidney stones.
> > Too much OA can kill.
> > Stewed rhubarb has less OA than raw. This seems to be due to the loss
> > of juice during the stewing process. I don't think this advantage
> > would fit our uses as we retain the juices for making wine.
> >
> > Below are a few sites containing bits and pieces of info on rhubarb
> > and OA.
> >
> > My parents came up for the holiday. Brought 9 cases of 2 Buck Chuck.
> > I asked if they could fill the truck when they came up, looked pretty
> > good to me! The plum still has it's red color and is doing very
> > nicely.
> >
> > Take Care,
> > Steve - Noobie
> > Oregon
> >
> > http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcom...er/oxalic.html
> >
> >
http://www.foodscience.ac.nz/researc...ontaining_food
..html
> >
> > http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/rhubarb-poison.html#TOC82
> >
> > http://forum.kingsnake.com/res/messages/18621.html
> >
> > http://www.r-biopharm.com/general/pr...oductlist&id=3
> >
> > http://food.oregonstate.edu/a/rhubarb.html
> >
> > http://www.bioscience.org/2003/v8/s/1082/tables.htm
> >
> >
http://merck.micromedex.com/index.as...d=BPM01NP07&ta
ble=BPM01NP07T07
> >
> > http://www.andrews.edu/NUFS/literature%20reviews.html
>
>

"Dar V" > wrote in message
...
> Good-luck with your batch. I've made rhubarb wine, and I prefer to add
> chalk

LOL!!! Another chalker!!! I keep a pack of sticks in my supply tub.....
:-)

(calcium carbonate) to the batch, but that is me. Some people don't
> mind. You can always try it one way this time and a different way the
next.
> Darlene
> Wisconsin
>
> "spud" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Just started the first batch of rhubarb, 4.5gal.
> >
> > Trying to reslove whether or not to chalk this must has been a real
> > maze of reading and digging, hunting info on the net. There a few
> > items I suppose one could hanging the ol' hat on.
> >
> > Rhubarb's oxalic acid content in the petiole varies widely.
> > Rhubarb, is generally consider the highest in OA.
> > Spinach and rhubarb wrestle for first place depending on the source of
> > the information.
> > Lots of veggies have OA. Lettuce for instance.
> > OA are especially bad if you have or are prone to kidney stones.
> > Too much OA can kill.
> > Stewed rhubarb has less OA than raw. This seems to be due to the loss
> > of juice during the stewing process. I don't think this advantage
> > would fit our uses as we retain the juices for making wine.
> >
> > Below are a few sites containing bits and pieces of info on rhubarb
> > and OA.
> >
> > My parents came up for the holiday. Brought 9 cases of 2 Buck Chuck.
> > I asked if they could fill the truck when they came up, looked pretty
> > good to me! The plum still has it's red color and is doing very
> > nicely.
> >
> > Take Care,
> > Steve - Noobie
> > Oregon
> >
> > http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcom...er/oxalic.html
> >
> >
http://www.foodscience.ac.nz/researc...ontaining_food
..html
> >
> > http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/rhubarb-poison.html#TOC82
> >
> > http://forum.kingsnake.com/res/messages/18621.html
> >
> > http://www.r-biopharm.com/general/pr...oductlist&id=3
> >
> > http://food.oregonstate.edu/a/rhubarb.html
> >
> > http://www.bioscience.org/2003/v8/s/1082/tables.htm
> >
> >
http://merck.micromedex.com/index.as...d=BPM01NP07&ta
ble=BPM01NP07T07
> >
> > http://www.andrews.edu/NUFS/literature%20reviews.html
>
>

I don't chalk mine, and it tastes great. I think the bulk of OA is in the
leaves, which is why they say they are poisonous.
Dan.

"spud" > wrote in message
...
> Just started the first batch of rhubarb, 4.5gal.
>
> Trying to reslove whether or not to chalk this must has been a real
> maze of reading and digging, hunting info on the net. There a few
> items I suppose one could hanging the ol' hat on.
>
> Rhubarb's oxalic acid content in the petiole varies widely.
> Rhubarb, is generally consider the highest in OA.
> Spinach and rhubarb wrestle for first place depending on the source of
> the information.
> Lots of veggies have OA. Lettuce for instance.
> OA are especially bad if you have or are prone to kidney stones.
> Too much OA can kill.
> Stewed rhubarb has less OA than raw. This seems to be due to the loss
> of juice during the stewing process. I don't think this advantage
> would fit our uses as we retain the juices for making wine.
>
> Below are a few sites containing bits and pieces of info on rhubarb
> and OA.
>
> My parents came up for the holiday. Brought 9 cases of 2 Buck Chuck.
> I asked if they could fill the truck when they came up, looked pretty
> good to me! The plum still has it's red color and is doing very
> nicely.
>
> Take Care,
> Steve - Noobie
> Oregon
>
> http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcom...er/oxalic.html
>
> http://www.foodscience.ac.nz/researc...ning_food.html
>
> http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/rhubarb-poison.html#TOC82
>
> http://forum.kingsnake.com/res/messages/18621.html
>
> http://www.r-biopharm.com/general/pr...oductlist&id=3
>
> http://food.oregonstate.edu/a/rhubarb.html
>
> http://www.bioscience.org/2003/v8/s/1082/tables.htm
>
> http://merck.micromedex.com/index.as...e=BPM01NP07T07
>
> http://www.andrews.edu/NUFS/literature%20reviews.html

Thanks for the response to the post concerning rhubarb. It's quite
appreciated.

Well it's PINK! What a surprise.

Steve - Noobie
Oregon

Yep, sometimes the color you think it will be isn't what it is. I thought
pumpkin wine would be orange, it is a light yellow, watermelon wine is sort
of yellow - not pink, my pepper wine is on the yellow side too, not
green...surprise.
Darlene
Wisconsin

"spud" > wrote in message
...
> Thanks for the response to the post concerning rhubarb. It's quite
> appreciated.
>
> Well it's PINK! What a surprise.
>
> Steve - Noobie
> Oregon

So the stalks basically aren't poisonous in wine, then? I was pretty
sure you can't eat the leaves, so I don't see why they'd be used in
winemaking..

A last addendum.
I make a 5 gal ( imp) batch of rhubarb every couple of years, using the
young freshly grown variety that becomes available early spring in
Yorkshire -- there are growers who have huge sheds where the rhubarb is
"forced". When I was a boy we used to put old bottomless buckets, upended
and filled with straw over the dormant plants in winter to help speed up the
early development. During the WW2 years it was a treat to have a stick of
young fresh rhubarb with a small bag of sugar for dipping.

I never add chalk -- the Oxalic acid being, I feel, an essential ingredient
of what makes a good rhubarb wine.

Using fresh young rhubarb mine is always a delicate shade of pink.

I always wash. chop and freeze the rhubarb and then go into the fermentation
process, find that freezing obviously help a lot with juice extraction. The
leaves are NEVER used

As other who make it regularly will also agree it is an excellent "blender"
with other wines lacking in finish and takes on the attributes of other
wines in an extraordinary way.

With regard to Oxalic acid, I was told on here about a year ago that as a
diabetic I should be aware of its dangers to my health but never got any
details of that. Asking at my monthly diabetic forum, I have had no adverse
comments made by doctors or their staff.

In answering posts I often add asides which, I feel, add to the interest of
the main topic without being directly OT as it were!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire, England
Remove "PSANTISPAM" from my address line to reply.
All outgoing mail is scanned by Norton
Anti Virus for your protection too!

"Dar V" > wrote in message
...
> Yep, sometimes the color you think it will be isn't what it is. I thought

<snip><snip>
>>
>> Steve - Noobie
>> Oregon
>
>

Correct - the stalks are okay to make wine out of - the leaves are poisonous
to humans. I didn't think the poster was talking about eating the leaves; I
thought we were talking about oxalic acid. When our dog was little, he ate a
bunch of rhubarb leaves. I called the vet, and the vet said not to worry.
I didn't; the dog was fine.
Darlene
Wisconsin

"evilpaul" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> So the stalks basically aren't poisonous in wine, then? I was pretty
> sure you can't eat the leaves, so I don't see why they'd be used in
> winemaking..
>