Crazy busy but happy!

front to back: woodland phlox, blue flag, yellow flag iris

The garden has been coming along in leaps and bounds.  Everything takes me longer than it used to, but I enjoy each step as I go.  Now that I don't spend my days watering greenhouses in endless rows of benches and doing factory-like production, I enjoy the time I spend with my own plants.  I take the time to wander around and see what is blooming, what needs weeding, where my plants are dry, whatever!
I spent the very cool and cloudy Sunday on my knees picking through beds of weeds and plants.  I found that the reseeding annuals had reseeded in bigger clumps than previously thought.  I took advantage of the weather and pulled up and transplanted asters, Prairie Sun cone flowers, and Calendula into a better spacing.  I popped the black-eyed Susan vines in the back by the fence with the lattice (many were from seed collected last fall).  I added some zinnias, flowering kale, and Diamond Frost Euphorbia to fill in the rest.  I did not take my chances and shaded them all with row cover to keep them from wilting with the sunny days on Monday and Tuesday.  As soon as the evening scented stock is fully rooted, I will tuck some of this in for fragrance.

The vegetable garden is producing some of the best lettuce I have ever grown.  Winter Density romaine has proven to be a wonderful early lettuce.  With the grow cloth, it is pretty and perfect. I pulled the last of first crop radishes, second crop is less than a week from picking.  Radicchio is as beautiful as the lettuce.  I grew garden cress for the first time and it was tasty.  It is very similar to nasturtium flowers with a peppery bite.  My daughter's friend found it too peppery alone, but I broke it up fine in a salad.  The three greens made a great salad for supper last night.   We enjoyed the first pesto from pinching back basil.  I put in a few more seeds of cilantro, parsnips, and chard.  Rotating out one foot square areas means having enough to eat fresh with little excess.

Pole beans and first crop of bush beans are up as well as the soy beans.  As soon as I put in the peppers, I will also line out a couple more types of bush beans.  Peas are slow this year and are just starting to bloom.  Spinach was starting to bolt, so I pulled it all to keep it from getting bitter.  I weighed out my dozen plants at half a pound.  I will try to time a fall crop this year.  Same with radishes.  I always get both in too late and never enjoy the fall season crops.

Tonight I worked on the front garden, tucking in some annuals around my rain garden.  It was cool and light, occasional rain, but another great time for transplanting flowers.  I left a little sunny patch to fill in with some of the leftovers when I finish in the backyard.  I just have the tomatoes and cucumbers for the side to line out and get down the soaker hoses for the summer.  I might use stakes and twine for all the plants this year.  Doing the weave on the Roma tomatoes really worked out great.  I would have to go buy stakes first, so that plan may change.

My neighbor has three very large clumps of rhubarb.  I exchanged some greens for rhubarb.  Last night I cleaned, cut up, and froze five bags each with five cups of fruit.  I have another five in the frig to make jam with.  I want to try a very different recipe that my friend, Judy swears by.
I also made an old-fashioned rhubarb custard dessert with a press in pan crust.  

Very Berry Rhubarb Jam (Midwest Living)

5 cups rhubarb, cut into 1 “ pieces     

21 ounce can blueberry pie filling
4 cups sugar               

6 ounce package raspberry jello
½-¾ cup water

In large kettle, combine rhubarb, sugar, and water.  Bring to boiling.  Boil rhubarb, uncovered for 3 minutes stirring constantly.  Stir in blueberry pie filling.  Return mixture to boiling: boil for 6 minutes, stirring constantly.  Stir in gelatin.  Return to boiling.  Boil for 3 minutes stirring constantly.  Ladle into half pint jars or freezer containers leaving ½ inch head space.  Seal and label.  Let stand at room temperature for several hours or until jam is set.  Store 3 weeks in refrigerator or 1 year in freezer.   (8 half pints)

Aunt Bernice Riendl's Rhubarb Dream Dessert

Ingredients:
Topping - 2 eggs, 1 1/2 c. sugar, 1/4 c. flour, 3/4 t. salt, 2 c. finely chopped rhubarb

Crust - 1 c. flour, 1/3 c. pwd sugar., 1/2 c. butter


Directions:
Press crust in ungreased 8/8 pan. Bake 350' for 15 min.
Mix dry ingredients of topping, add beaten eggs, add rhubarb. Spoon over. Bake 350' 35- or until set in middle.   Can be double for 9x13 and bake about 10 min. more.

Make sure to freeze rhubarb while it is in season as this is the only time you can afford to get it.  It is very expensive in the chain stores, so make sure to get to the early farm markets for it.