While technically a vegetable, rhubarb is also known as the “first fruit of the season.” When cooking with rhubarb, a generous helping of sugar isn’t far behind, as this ruby red colored stalk has a bite that’s bracingly sour. But when it comes to pies, rhubarb has found its home, and is nicknamed “pie plant.” Diced and added to coffee cake, cooked into a sweet-sticky jam, or reduced and stewed, rhubarb is often paired up with strawberries and apples for the perfect springtime dance of flavors and textures.