22 May 2016

The dog, the garden, the rhubarb

Callie was happy yesterday afternoon when we went out for our walk, and so was I. For Callie it was because she got to spend most of the day outdoors. We left the doors wide open, and some windows too. The sky was hazy, so it didn't get as warm as the weather services had predicted but, at 24ºC, we weren't complaining.



For me, the happiness had to do with getting some garden work done. At about 10, I went out and fired up the rototiller. But first, I dug four or five wheelbarrow loads of compost from one of our two piles and spread it all over the garden plot. Then I tilled it all in. Tilling also uprooted weeds that had started growing in the earth.

Above, you can see the two rogue rhubarb plants that had come up in the garden plot this spring. In that photo, I hadn't yet finished tilling up the whole plot, which we enlarged a few months ago. I stopped to harvest one rhubarb plant. In the photo on the right, you can see that the plant is gone. I dug up the root with The tiller and a shovel.

I will harvest the second rhubarb plant this coming week. We have half a dozen plants growing in a different spot, out in the back corner of the yard, so we don't need these two, Above, you can see that there is one corner of the garden plot that I didn't till, because I already have some little collard greens growing there.
Here's the harvested rhubarb. The stems, leaves removed, will make quite a few tarts, crumbles, or jars of confiture.

18 comments:

  1. Again, great job. I hope you used gloves with the rototiller.

    I just love rhubarb preserves. Can't wait. It is strange that only the stem is edible, as the rest of the plant is poisonous!

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    1. I'll make some rhubarb preserves this week.

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    2. I didn't know that chm. My mother always used to make rhubarb pies (sans leaves).

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    3. It's oxalic acid that makes the leaves toxic. For some reason, the stems contain malic acid, which is okay to eat.

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  2. Rhubarb makes me think of my grandma, so I can never get enough. Her raspberry-rhubarb jam was divine (all ingredients out of her own garden).

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    1. Walt is making a strawberry-rhubarb tart for this afternoon's eating pleasure.

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  3. I like the sound of "rogue rhubarb". My dad usually referred to rogues as "volunteers" and they were mostly tomato plants. I bet the preserves will be delicious.

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    1. I call them "volunteers" too. My best tomatoes seem to come from volunteers that sprout in the compost pile.

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  4. "First, I dug four or five wheelbarrow loads of compost...." Geeze! That was just an aside? LOL That would do me in for the day!

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    Replies
    1. Nearly did me in, but you can't give up, n'est-ce pas?

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    2. Nearly did me in, but you can't give up, n'est-ce pas?

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  5. wow rhubarb looks great and healthy my grandma baked cakes with it. It was deliciuos

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