The First Harvests

It's been such a cold, wet spring, that there hasn't been a lot to harvest yet. I'm keeping my harvest spreadsheet  here. 

My first harvest was Mache, or Cornsalad. I planted some a few years back, when I became an Eliot Coleman disciple. It reseeds itself freely, and comes back year after year. I eat as much as I want, and let the rest flower and go to seed. Presto - more spring salad the following year.

Today I harvested rhubarb, and made a lovely rhubarb sauce and served it hot over plain yogurt. I spooned the yogurt into bowls, and then put the bowls in the freezer until dessert time. Here's the recipe, enough for dessert for two:

325 gr freshly harvested rhubarb, washed and cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 tbsp brown sugar 

2 tbsp dried currants (because my husband doesn't like raisins. I'd rather use raisins, but the currants are good too)

1/4 tsp grated orange rind

1 orange cut into supremes

A few dried prunes

Place the rhubarb, sugar, currants, prunes, orange rind, and 2 or 3 of the supremes into a saucepot on medium heat, and bring to a simmer.

Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally until the rhubarb is soft.

Taste and add more sugar if you wish. Add water 1 tsp at a time if you would like the sauce thinner. Add a mixture of 1 tsp cornstarch and 1 tbsp water if you want the sauce thicker. Boil the cornstarch mixture in the sauce for 2 minutes to cook the cornstarch.

You may prepare the sauce up to this point, and let it sit, covered, until after dinner. Heat it back up briefly just before serving.

Divide the sauce evenly over bowls of frozen yogurt, and garnish with the remaining orange supremes.

- - - - 

I am very, very happy to announce that my black raspberry has actually shown signs of life. I approached it yesterday to begin the sad process of removing the dead canes from the garden. I was snapping the brittle, brown canes off at ground level, when something caught my eye. From the very base of one of the canes, I discovered two shoots, sporting their deep red color that will turn green as they mature. So exciting. 

I'm keeping watch on my indoor seedlings. I had given up on the Datura seeds, and planted more Ground Cherries in the same little peat pots. However, now I'm noticing shoots that are definitely not Ground Cherries. Could it be a few Datura that have finally germinated??  I'll know when the true leaves come out.

I'm also having trouble with slugs. It's been so wet. I'm going to try coffee grounds, and coffee spray. I'm also going to remove all the mulch I have on my garden beds. It's soggy, and it's making a much to comfortable home for them. I'll have to rake it all up and dispose of it.

There's a large Ivy intertwined with a large Euonymous that is in the perfect spot for the new Sea Buckthorn trees, so I'm in the process of removing them. They are originals - they were they when we moved in, in 1992. It's a big decision, to remove something that well established, but it's going to open up the yard nicely. I'm going to try to root some of the Ivy. I'd like to plant some at the front of the house, where some shrubbery is badly needed. I'll put some new growth Ivy cuttings, along with some Willow cuttings into some water. The Willow has chemicals that act like rooting hormone, and will help the Ivy cuttings make roots.

Now I'm off to the books. The rhubarb is doing so well that I want to look up my rhubarb preserve recipes. I want to start selecting this year's flavours, and I'll be starting with rhubarb!