Today's harvest

Yep, this is it. It didn't exactly take all morning to haul the crops in. However, it was a nice treat to drop the asparagus in the water I was cooking potatoes in, drain, add a hint of butter and eat. A tasty, tiny snack. Half of the spear went to my husband's lunch. The rhubarb will make for a nice glass of rhubarbade.

It has been especially warm and a lot of the plants in my garden are about a month ahead of schedule. We have been harvesting lovage and chives for a while. The clove currants are blooming. I'm just starting to see a hint of the radish and spinach plants.

It was a nice morning to get out into the garden, weed and see how much the plants have been growing. I've joined the "normal" work world this year so am mainly able to garden on the weekends. Hopefully, I can get out there a bit more in the summer. There is nothing like starting the day with weeding, watering and munching on fresh raspberries. I can't wait.

Rhubarb, rhubarb and more rhubarb

I'm very pleased with how the gardens are doing. I've been picking a lot of peas, lettuce and herbs this week. The rhubarb is doing especially well. I haven't had time to try any new recipes but have come up with a tasty way to use it up. I have mixed rhubarb and dried fruit with juice and cooked it over medium heat until it begins to thicken. I add a little stevia or other sweetener if needed. Chill and serve. Tonight's combo was dried mango, cranberry juice and rhubarb. Yesterday I used dried apricot, rhubarb and orange juice. I didn't measure very carefully but it seems to work with a little more than a cup of chopped rhubarb, a little less than a cup of dried fruit and about 3/4 cup of juice. I look forward to experimenting with more rhubarb ideas until the tomatoes, beans and potatoes begin to take over the garden.

Remarkable Rhubarb

Rhubarb is pretty impressive nutritionally. One cup of diced rhubarb has 26 calories, 6 grams of carbs, 2 grams fiber, 9.8 mg Vitamin C (16% DV), 105 mg Calcium (10% DV) and 351 mg Potassium (10% DV). Unfortunately it seems to be at its best when loaded down with sugar. I'm still looking for savory rhubarb recipes. I just came across "The Rhubarb Compendium" which is filled with recipes and information. I am especially interested in trying this page of recipes. The Pork with Rhubarb sauce sounds interesting. I will have to try a few of the recipes and report back on the results. I just have to save enough for a batch of rhubarb wine. I may well go from wondering what I'm going to do with all the rhubarb to wishing I had more to experiment with.