Rhubarb ~ Vegetable or Fruit? easy to grow and very versatile!

Rhubarb (is actually a perennial vegetable), or pieplant, was widely regarded as a fine spring tonic to aid the blood and the digestive system. Cooked and stewed rhubarb was called “spring fruit” in early cookbooks. 

The usual way to harvest rhubarb, is to grab the stem, near the ground and pull. Cutting the stalks off will do no harm, and will encourage more growth regardless.  Always leave a few stalks to keep your plant healthy. It is always recommended to only harvest 25% of a perennial on any given year to ensure future harvests. After discarding the leaves and cutting the bottom of the stem off, give them rinse in cool/cold water. Because I don't care for all the "strings" in my cake, I peel the stalks before cutting them into smaller pieces. For jams or for stewed rhubarb, I don't bother to peel the stalks. 

Caring for your plant: As flower stalks appear on the growing rhubarb, remove them right away so they don't rob the plant of nutrients. Make sure you water the plants during dry weather; rhubarb doesn't tolerate drought. Mulch generously with a heavy layer of straw and cow manure to provide nutrients for the plant, retain moisture, and discourage weeds. 

Rhubarb ~ 19 June 2020 Ready to harvest!

Asparagus memories

I remember going out with my family, when I was a child, foraging for wild asparagus along ditches and fence lines. My grandmother would use her apron to hold the bounty of spears and deposit them in a dish pan as she and my mother would visit and pick the wild asparagus, on a warm spring day. These days you won't find wild asparagus due to spraying and cultivation practices but the happy memories are still there. Now I just pick asparagus in my garden ~ the variety is probably Martha Washington.

When gathering, simply take the end of the asparagus spear between your thumb and forefinger and bend until it breaks, the spear automatically breaks just where the woody part ends and the fresh, juicy asparagus begins. That being said, you can peel the woody parts and use the tender centers, on the larger spears. I like to cut the spears at or near ground level rather than leave the stalks (and then snap them), as they are just in the way as the new, fresh spears are growing.

Apple Blossom time

Apple blossoms give us hope for future harvest. Fruit should be ready to pick in about September. One of my apple trees is grafted stock originally purchased from Stark's in about 1957 and planted in our 20 acre orchard, on a farm in Idaho. It's the best Red Delicious you could imagine. The fruit is red with green stripes, sweet, crisp and solid. Makes wonderful pies, applesauce and fresh eating.

Sweet (accidental) Success!!

Last fall the carrots were still to small to harvest so I just left them in the ground and figured that winter would kill them off. Through all the cold, freezing temperatures, the snow, rain and sleet, they not only survived without even a covering of straw, they grew! We have been enjoying fresh carrots, from the garden in February and now into March. What a treat!

Let it snow!

Spring like weather, then frigid temperatures, snow then rain. Our weather has been all over the place, but that's not unusual for around here. The snow was beautiful and sure wish it had stayed around for a few days. The Pine tree boughs, across the street from us, were drooping with the weight of the snow.

 

The quail come to feed almost every day. We had at least 50, of them here scratching around for seed. 

The old prune tree

Well, my husband's uncle gave us a grafted prune tree nearly 40 years ago. This year it has lost 2 large limbs due to age, and the amazing amount of fruit it's bearing, in spite of the fact that the branch was propped up... the prop snapped into 2 pieces! It's been such a great little tree and has had huge crops every few years, but this year it was just too much for it. I am brokenhearted. The tree can be saved but not sure how many more years it will be around. Hope to graft a new tree onto some root stock in the form of seedlings that have come up. Wish me luck!

This was in July, we didn't start picking ripe fruit until September

Prunes ripen in late August through September ~ So sweet & juicy!

Prunes cooked then spice to taste with ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. No sugar needed!

Apple Cider pressing time!

Went to a friend's place and spent a few hours cutting and pressing apples for cider.  The apples are washed, rinsed and cut (to check for mold) before grinding and pressing. Took home 4 1/2 gallons! I'll be pasteurizing and canning most of it.