Finished, at least for a Week or Two
This past weekend I finally finished planting all of my first flush of plants. The last of the tomatoes and peppers went into the ground so they could get soaked in but the few days of rain that was forecasted.
This doesn’t mean I’m finished, it’s now time to start seeding heat tolerant lettuces, radishes, peas, fall brassicas, and so much more. Work is never really finished in the garden, especially when you’re trying to maximize space and harvests while minimize canning and preserving work. I’ve been working really hard to get the timing right for fall/winter crops, each year I learn a little more. I must admit, it’s difficult to think about planting/seeding new things when you feel like you just finished planting the heat loving crops.
What are you planting this week and what things do you have planned for fall harvests?
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Savoring Rhubarb
It’s rhubarb season here in Maine and probably in other parts of the country as well. Rhubarb is one of those vegetables that people seem to love or hate. I happen to love it, the tart/sweet taste, the pink color, the interesting flavor, the plants; I love everything about it.
I have a few rhubarb plants in the garden, two different varieties. I’d love to get a few more as well to compare the plants and the flavors.
Since it’s rhubarb season I’ve been making all things rhubarb to make the most of this lovely vegetable. I’ve made: rhubarb ketchup (which is fantastic on meatloaf), rhubarb BBQ sauce, rhubarb/apple jam, shrub, syrup, and I’m going to make pickled rhubarb and a few more this week.
The rhubarb shrub I made is so pretty and it’s really refreshing. I’ve been mixing it with sparkling water for a refreshing afternoon drink. You can find the recipe over on Serious Eats. I’ll definitely be making a few more batches of this!
Last Wednesday I loaded up a big batch of rhubarb, a few cooking ingredients, and headed over to a friend’s house. We spent the morning making all sorts of delicious things featuring rhubarb. It’s always fun to spend your time preserving with a friend. Not only do you get to chat while you work, you don’t end up with mass quantities of everything. I love only having one or two jars of each thing in the pantry, there are only two of us after all.
The rhubarb BBQ is FANTASTIC. I love that it doesn’t have any ketchup in it, which is perfect for any of you that can’t tolerate nightshade plants. The flavor is amazing and I can only imagine it will get better and better as it ages. I’m definitely making another batch of this delicious goodness!
This year I also started some seed for perpetual rhubarb, which allows for harvesting all summer long. The plants are just tiny seedlings right now, I’ll keep you posted on how they do throughout the summer and next year. I would love to have a little bit of rhubarb all summer long instead of just one big glut in the spring.
Rhubarb, do you love it or hate it? What’s your favorite way to enjoy it?
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Quote of the Day: Charles Dickens
“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which everyone has many.”
Yesterday, Mr Chiots and I celebrated our 17 year wedding anniversary – crazy, I know. It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long. We usually aren’t big on celebrating events, so we spent our day working outside and had a dinner harvested from the garden.
Mr Chiots did surprise me with a pig statue for the garden. I admired this particular statue at Fieldstone Gardens when we were there last Sunday. He left work early yesterday and picked it up for me.
After a little though we decided it should sit right by the front door. It’s a lovely piece and it’s quite perfect since we’re not getting real pigs this year. I do miss having them around, so this beauty makes me smile every time I see it.
Do you have any statues in the garden?
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Finally
We finally had a little rain shower move through yesterday evening. The garden has been super dry, I mean super dry. Luckily, my soil retains water really well since I don’t dig or till and I mulch everything.
I was worried the rain would miss us completely, but finally a cool rain started to fall. It was the perfect rain, not too hard, not too soft.
How’s the rain situation in your garden this spring?
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Growing Again
I like the zone aspect of permaculture, where you keep things you need close to the house and things you don’t need to access quite as often farther away. As I go about my days, I watch my habits and traffic patterns around the garden. The result is that I visit the back potager and lower gardens much more often than the main edible garden up behind the garage. That’s why I decided to expand the edible garden areas a little around the house.
Areas that are difficult to mow are always the first to get changed over from sod to garden space. Areas prone to weed infestation are also first to get switched. This area below the house is south facing and was always a huge pain to mow. Last summer I put down cardboard and covered it with grass clippings. This year I had to dig out a few tenacious weeds, but there weren’t too many.
Then I planted it with tomatoes and peppers. I’m thinking about moving my boxwood hedge down here. Eventually it will be filled with perennials, but that won’t happen until the weeds are fully under control. I like to plant beds in annuals for a year or two before planting perennials. It’s much easier to dig out any weed that pop up when the plants aren’t permanent. Annuals also appreciate the structure of freshly worked soil, perennials do better after the soil has settled a bit.
Are you expanding your gardens this year?
