Tag Archives: garden

>Preparation and Planting Progress

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>Weeds. Weeds, weeds, weeds. I took a shovel and turned the soil so I could pull out the multitude of weeds that had taken root in my triangle garden. In the process, I found out that my soil is really heavy on clay – still. I’d thought the layering we did last year would have helped mitigate that. Not enough, apparently. Clay and weeds: not a fun combination.

Finished the weeds and harvested a few dandelion greens for my bunnies’ snack! Next: the grid. I used masking tape this time. It’s easy enough that it takes no time at all to set up, and temporary enough that it can come down as soon as I’m done planting.
The next steps aren’t in pictures yet. 1. set up the tomato supports, plan where to plant each kind of tomato. 2. Transplant!
I’ve been out every morning checking on the progress. There’s a little green coming up here and there, and it looks like the right stuff. It looks like what I planted. It will grow, and that’s all I ask.

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>Stewed Rhubarb

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>The theme ingredient at Daisy’ house is rhubarb. Amigo requested Rhubarb Upside Down Cake, so I’ll make that next weekend when he’s home. This stewed rhubarb is similar to applesauce, made with rhubarb instead.

Ingredients
2-4 cups rhubarb, diced (1/4 or 1/2 inch)
1 cup water (add more as needed)
Sugar to taste (my family likes it sweet)
Directions
1. Diced rhubarb.
2. Place rhubarb and water in a large saucepan.
3. Over low heat, simmer until rhubarb is soft and mushy: at least 45 minutes on low, stirring frequently.
4. If rhubarb begins to scorch, add another 1/2 cup of water.
5. Cool and add sugar to taste. I used 4 Tablespoons for 3 cups of rhubarb.
6. Add additional sugar to the family’s preference. We liked ours sweet.
This was a hit with three out of four family members. Chuck even suggested I find a way to can it. We have enough rhubarb each year; I’ll look into it!
The original recipe came from Big Black Dog. I’m so glad I subscribe to her blog. She has excellent recipes and advice.

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>Rhubarb, tomatoes, and random thoughts

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>Rhubarb! I have rhubarb! In fact, I spent time last night looking through my new go-to books for canning, wondering if I could can some of this bountiful harvest. Since it was too cold to plant tomatoes until recently, I focused on rhubarb.

I did find a recipe that looks a lot like the stewed rhubarb I made for supper tonight. It was like applesauce, but with rhubarb instead of apples. Make sense? I found one and thought Yeah! Canning commences! And then realized I will need eleven pounds of rhubarb to fill seven quart cans. Yes, I said 11 lb. of rhubarb! Well, if I harvest and freeze this week and do the same next week, I’ll have all eleven before I know it. Yum.
The tomato seedlings are in the ground now! I tallied up the tomatoes and put the supports in place as a planning maneuver. All right, I also did it because I wanted to get in the garden and it was too darn cold to plant! Only a few green sprouts dared poke their little heads out from the soil, and they’re all spinach. Yep. I will have a minimum of 13 tomato plants, even if those I started from seed do not make it (darn late blizzard) and at least 5 peppers. The pepper plants are coming up better from seed, and if they survive, I’ll have nine pepper plants. Salsa time!
I’m experimenting with various new dishes, and right now rhubarb is my theme ingredient. Part of the locavore menu involves eating what’s ripe and in season. By the time it’s our of season, we’ll be tired of it and ready to move on to something else. About the time my family rebels and shouts out “No More Rhubarb, Mom!” strawberries will be coming into their prime. Then I can mix strawberry-rhubarb pie, strawberry-rhubarb crisp, strawberry-rhubarb dump cake — bwahahahaha! Just kidding, family. I’ll be more creative than that. Maybe.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we helped another family rescue five bunnies last Monday night. I think that’s a sign that I’m feeling a little more energetic; I went with daughter to help out, even though it was getting late.
I could share a picture of the garden plot, but it would be rather dull. Soil, compost, remains from last year because I’m going no-till this time, and a few red spiral posts standing sentry, all alone, with small tomato plants.
But trust me. I’ll overwhelm you with garden pictures eventually – hopefully sooner rather than later.

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>Picnic Time at Recipe Lion’s Blog Hop

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>Recipe Lion’s monthly Blog Hop for May features picnic recipes. It’s in the 50s today, drizzling, and we even gave in and turned on the heat again, so it’s hard to think of outdoor picnics right now. A few days ago the weather was so hot and muggy stores turned on their air conditioning! Well, that’s Wisconsin weather: if you don’t like it, wait a day.

Whether having a picnic or dining al fresco on the deck, food safety rules are paramount. Keep the hot foods hot and the cold foods cold so bacteria doesn’t have a chance to grow. If we attend a potluck picnic, I prefer to bring a cold dish for just that reason. Salads are great: fruit salad, lettuce salad, or similar dishes are easy and delicious. Desserts are good, too. My rhubarb is growing like wildfire, so I’m going to bake rhubarb treats soon and often. Here’s a simple rhubarb bread that makes a good picnic food or snack.
Rhubarb bread: makes two loaves
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups raw rhubarb, chopped
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts
1/3 cup white sugar
1 Tablespoon melted butter

Directions


  1. Heat oven to 325F, lightly butter and flour two 8″x4″x3″ loaf pans Combine the brown sugar, veggie oil and the egg.

  2. Combine the buttermilk (sour milk), baking soda, salt& vanilla.

  3. Add the milk mixture to the sugar mixture alternately with the flour, beating well after each addition

  4. Fold in the rhubarb& the nuts.

  5. Turn batter into the two loaf pans.

  6. Sprinkle with the melted butter and sugar.

  7. Bake for 45 minutes or until done.

  8. Let cool. Serve warm or cool, with butter or plain.

My tip for rhubarb; harvest frequently, whenever the rhubarb is red. Use a food processor to chop into tiny pieces. Freeze in a single layer on wax paper on a cookie sheet. When frozen, pour into a container. This method allows cooks to pull out exactly the amount needed without thawing the entire container. Mm; rhubarb bread in January. Savor the thought.
blog hop button Fabulous Food Friday: May Blog Hop

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>Rhubarb Muffins – a classic

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>The first spring in our home, many long years ago, we discovered all kinds of fun things growing. We’d moved in late enough in the fall that everything except the grass was brown, and nothing was blooming. We enjoyed the show as daffodils, tulips, daylilies, and even a beautiful bleeding heart bush made their appearances on the stage. Tucked into the backyard next to the garage we found rhubarb.

Since that spring, I’ve developed and discovered many rhubarb recipes. This one’s tried and true, a regular product of my tiny kitchen. I found it in a newspaper, modified it slightly, and then started making it regularly.

Backyard Rhubarb Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cups whole wheat flour
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1/4 cup applesauce or 1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 large egg or ¼ cup egg substitute
½ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup fresh rhubarb, cut in ½ inch dice
Topping:
1/8 cup brown sugar, packed
1/8 cup chopped walnuts
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat 12 muffin cups with non-stick spray. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.
Make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients and add the oil (applesauce), egg, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in the rhubarb. Scoop batter into the muffin cups.
Topping; Combine the brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon. Sprinkle mixture over the tops of the muffins, dividing equally.
Bake for 20 to 23 minutes or just until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean and dry. Remove from oven and cool on rack. Makes twelve muffins.
Alternate topping: After cooling, drizzle with a simple powdered sugar icing.

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>To-do list

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>

The weekend’s to-do list:

Buy plants from arboretum plant sale. Check.

Remove weeds from garden plot.
Set up rain barrels. Check.
Make grid to guide planting.
Plant tomatoes and peppers.
Put in the tomato supports.
The Milwaukee Brewers were playing well Sunday afternoon, though. It was a little distracting. Must enjoy those home runs while they’re happening! Go, True Blue Brew Crew!
The tomatoes can go in tomorrow.

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>Good tired, bad tired

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>Good tired means I’ve been working, using energy well, wearing myself out in a positive way. Muscles might be sore, a little tense, but it’s a productive feeling. Spring gardening is one way to reach a good tired feeling.

Raking, shoveling soil, squatting to plant seeds, all this takes energy. As recently as a month ago, I wasn’t sure I had the energy to do any of these tasks. Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t, but I know that now I can handle it. I worry, though; am I overdoing?
Bad tired happens when I wake up in that dark cloud, the dark cloud that holds me to the bed and makes me wonder if it’s worth even walking into the kitchen and turning on the coffeepot. Bad tired is not having the emotional energy to walk outside, much less get the trowel and seeds and get the planting started.
Bad tired feels like “Why bother?” Bad tired is dragging through mud, trudging up the same section of path over and over until I give up. Bad tired is a night when I feel tired, but not sleepy, and get tense just thinking of how tired I’ll be in the morning if I don’t sleep well. Bad tired, you can see, is a vicious cycle.
Bad tired happens less often now. I credit my garden with a lot of the good tired. That little patch of dirt that hosts the seeds and seedlings each summer is also a source of motivation for me. The internal energy that says, “Plant now, you’ll be glad later!” leads to the good tired, the feeling that I’ve accomplished something. I have more to plant in the next two weeks, and that’s good. Energy still isn’t at its normal level, so spreading out the efforts is the best way to handle this. If I overdo and collapse from exhaustion, my two steps forward will yield two steps back, and then it’s back to bad tired.
Deep breath: I brought in the tools. Now the rain can come and soak the seeds. I’m going to take a nap, and it’s a good tired.

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>Sorta Square Foot Gardening

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I garden the way I teach and the way I cook; I don’t always follow the script exactly.
In Square Foot Gardening, it’s only right if the garden has a permanent grid and uses the perfect mix of soil. Well, I applied some of the philosophy. I rarely plant in rows; I usually plant in groups, often squares, to use the space more efficiently and choke out weeds whenever possible.
My soil, however, is the basic backyard garden soil with twelve years of compost mixed into the ground. It’s not a perfectly lovely store bought mix, but it drains well and grows lots of vegetables. I don’t use a permanent grid, either. I like the concept, and I measure (well, I estimate) when I’m planting, but I don’t build a grid. I use temporary guidelines of masking tape or in this case, string. Again, not perfect, but it gave me the guide I needed to plant seeds in the right portions and the right places.

The walkway is an old board. I’m not even sure what it was anymore. Fence? Deck? Now it provides a boardwalk so I can stay out of the mud and avoid stepping on my precious plants.
This, my friends, is the before picture. In a month or two I’ll post a during shot – if I remember. The after picture, the one with results, might not happen. Hopefully, I’ll be too busy harvesting and preserving the goodies!

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>A Mother’s Garden

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My garden is only just started. I’ve put in the bean and pea seed and a few shallots and onions. Mine isn’t nearly as well fenced in as this one.

Of course, I’m only fending off bunnies, squirrels, and woodchucks.

Since I don’t have to worry about monkeys, I think I’ll sit back and have a cup of coffee and relax. Weather permitting, I’ll see if I can get a few more seeds in. To me, that’s a renewing and relaxing Mothers’ Day.

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>Mother Nature, give us a break!

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>

A few short weeks ago, this was the view through our front window. It was 2011’s version of April Showers.

A close-up of the branch looked like this. Some neighborhood trees lost branches; they were just too weak to hold the heavy, wet showers. Er, snow.

It’s all melted now, and the weather theme since has been wind. The backyard is either swampy or squishy, depending on whether it’s raining or not on a given day. The garden beds look good; they’ve been raised and composted enough that the excess moisture is draining well. It’s still too cold and too muddy for me to spend much time prepping and planting.

Well, if April Showers bring May Flowers and Mayflowers bring pilgrims, what do April Snowstorms bring? Besides a swampy, spongy backyard, that is. Well, readers, do you have an answer?

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