Two weeks ago, on a gusty, chilly day, I found rhubarb at Kingma Market on Plainfield Avenue NE. Fresh, crisp stalks with a lovely ruby red color -- one of the stars of spring's first garden pickings.

Long stalks of pale red rhubarb start making an appearance at farmers markets and on grocery store shelves as the weather warms in early spring. The tart vegetable (yes, rhubarb is a vegetable) is ...