Despite a cold, wet spring here on the Island, things are happening in my little garden! And I am “shopping” daily in my backyard to put things on my plate.
I planted peas for the first time – snow, sugar snap and shelling peas – all of which are becoming my go-to snacks as well as being featured at meal time.
The snow peas are abundant!And the shelling peas are catching up.
I’ve been making a lot of these simple and quick rice bowl meals.
No recipe – just a variety of peas from the garden, cooked rice, a protein (smoked sausage, here) and a dollop of Sambal Badjak (Indonesian pepper paste) run through it all. One of my favourite meals…
And for dessert?
The raspberries are starting!!!Another simple meal of berries and yogurt.
Please join me and my co-host Donna (she’s back!!!) and let us know what’s on your plate this month! Feel free to leave a link in the Comments or join the Link Party:
True confession time: the last time I can recall eating stewed rhubarb was the night before I gave birth to my son. I was 2 days over my due date, it was August in Ontario, Canada (if you know, you know), and I was completely over being a whale a walking refrigerator a weeble pregnant. I thought the rhubarb might get something started, and…my son was born at 930am the next morning. So all hail the power of rhubarb! Actually, my daughter was also born exactly 2 days past my expected date too, and no rhubarb was involved. But let’s give kudos and credit to the all-knowing, all-powerful rhubarb!
Anyhoodle! Flash forward to the present day (almost 39 years later), and I finally have gotten around to stewing my own rhubarb from my own garden again. I can’t explain the long break other than to say I had somehow convinced myself that I didn’t like rhubarb and since I had no pregnancy to push (pardon the pun 😉) to conclusion, there was no need to eat any! Gentle reader, how wrong I was…
This spring I rediscovered this amazing plant (conveniently growing in my backyard) and have been on a bit of a rhubarb tear, ever since.
The first of many batches of stewed rhubarb, from my garden.Stewed rhubarb in my morning oatmeal and cottage cheese.Stewed rhubarb over custard.Stewed rhubarb stirred into Greek yogurt.
I have also discovered the wonder that is a rhubarb crisp.
Rhubarb crisp, put in the oven.Rhubarb crisp with ice cream. My family helped me empty the dish, in case you were wondering 😉.
Rhubarb is such a tough and amazing plant – you’ll know just how tough it is if you ever try to remove it from your yard, like my son-in-law is trying with his rhubarb patch It’s not that he doesn’t like rhubarb – he just wants to put something else in that prime growing location. Good luck with that, SIL!
How do you feel about the wonderful spring tonic that is rhubarb? How do you use it, if you do?
Please tell all in the Comments! This month my lovely co-host Donna has gone walkies so you just get me and no link party either, as that is her area of expertise. Sorry, eh! 🇨🇦
Getting pointed looks from an impatient Bowser, as seen through my kitchen window.
Many things in bloom this month on the trail (just as lovely as the wisteria in the garden!).
Native trailing blackberryHoneysuckleWestern StarflowerThimbleberryPacific DogwoodNootka Rose (with Bowsie coming in hot for a treat, in the background!)Alright, alright! You are on the trail and blooming too, Bowser!Lupins are just getting started on their bloom time.
No matter how the walk starts or what we see on the trail, it ends pretty much the same way:
I swear that Bowser is some kind of closet doggy gardener because whenever I am working in my yard, he won’t leave me alone. He has the full roam of the property including my landlords’ much bigger yard but decides he must be in my business whenever he sees me with tools in hand.
I ran in to get a drink of water while preparing to install 2 new garden beds (just peeking on right hand side of photo). My taskmaster is watching me through the kitchen window.The Supervisor
My son-in-law suggested I use string in order to line up the new beds with the existing, for symmetry. This is how that went.
Someone grabbed the string and ran into his yard with it. Despite not being able to use the string, I did get the beds situated and filled with soil and even planted! With peas and marigolds. No thanks to my favourite photo bomber.Being a nuisance helper is hard work. Bowser dozing in the spring sun.Old Sleepy Face was relieved to come inside with me, and rest in style. But demanded scritches until he fell asleep. He seemed to think he deserved them, being such a Good Helper and all…and I obliged.Finally, peace for both of us.
We hope you are having a productive weekend, with lots of peace too.
