Friday, May 30, 2014

Mishmash

Yesterday was spent in the garden again although I don't feel as if I got a lot done.  (I told hubby a couple of weeks ago I was not going to panic -- my usual mode of operation this time of year -- until the first of June.  Hmmm, methinks that date is drawing close purdy darn fast.)  Because our soil and air temp is never consistently warm enough for some transplants and seeds to go into the ground until the first part of June, I never planned on having everything done in the garden by June 1st, but I wanted to feel at least "on top" of it by then.

So what did I accomplish yesterday?  Got our red and green cabbages set out and 75' of potatoes planted.  And that took ALL DAY?  Yep.  But I did come in a smidge before 11 a.m. to make a nice lunch as B was here helping Papa Pea with a special project, and it was 1 p.m. before I got back outside again.

Speaking of our friend B, she gave me an amaryllis bulb last fall with instructions to let it sleep all winter in our basement.  I've never had one before and had no idea how to handle it.  'Round about the end of March, she said it was time to bring it upstairs and put it in a sunny window.


It was very slow to bloom, and just finally popped out the first flower this past Monday perhaps because it didn't get quite as much sun as it would have liked through the window where I had it.


Sure does make an impressive plant (over two feet tall) in a relatively short time.  Now to see if I can (with B's help and guidance) do what needs to be done to keep it going to bloom again next year.

We polished off the pan of Rhubarb Crunch I made in short order, and being the crazy rhubarb-craving gal I am, I made a Rhubarb Upsidedown Cake last night before bed.  Recipe is here if you're interested.


After getting the cake in the oven (and me in the shower), I was too pooped to process the rest I had harvested, but I'll make more rhubarb pie filling for the freezer with the remaining stalks today.

Sending congratulations out to my brother and sister-in-law on the birth of their second little granddaughter yesterday.  My nephew is proud as punch and his wife and 8 pound-plus little babe are doing fine.  This baby has a "big" sister, just two years older than she, to grow up with.

I know it's hard to believe after having our massive snow melt this spring, but our conditions here are now dry and the fire danger is listed as high.  But rain is a possibility (our ever-accurate [ahem] weather forecasters say) for both Saturday and Sunday this weekend.  Let's hope moisture does fall down upon us and soak everything so the threatening fire danger will be no more.  Plus, if it does rain, I'll be forced to spend time inside to clean and catch up on many other tasks which have fallen by the wayside while I've been concentrating my efforts outside.  Isn't it amazing how quickly a household can fall apart if no one is available to keep it all under control?  Yep, just amazing. 

10 comments:

Susan said...

Now I have to decide whether to make a rhubarb crunch or cake! Darn it... We are dry here, too, which seems so crazy after all the snow. Most of the week they have been threatening us with rain - to no avail. One more chance today. I'm almost hoping it's a downpour so I can justify staying inside... And, what, planting 75 pounds of tates is NOT a big deal????

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

I'm so jealous of that rhubarb. I can't wait to harvest from my own plants. I hope to locate some to buy to cook with this year, but so far, nothing. Hmpf. I know what you mean about potatoes, but I think we only planted about 30 lbs. When the root cellar gets dug, I'll double or triple that amount.

Mama Pea said...

Susan - No, no, no, I didn't plant 75 POUNDS of taters! Just 75 FEET worth of them. Heck, that was enough of a job for me!

Hope we both get the needed rain . . .

Mama Pea said...

Kristina - Here I go again, wishing all of us like-minded bloggers lived within easy driving distance of each other. You can bet I'd say, "Hey, Kristina, come on over and get some rhubarb!"

You planted 30 pounds of potatoes? That's A LOT. ('Course, you're feeding more people on a regular basis than I am, too.) I didn't weigh mine (all of the sets/eyes) before planting, but just kept sorting through what we have left from last year's harvest to find as many planting sized ones as I needed. Most of them were about golf ball size, maybe a bit bigger. They filled a galvanized pail to the top and that did my three 25' long rows.

Leigh said...

I so envy your rhubarb. Our summers are just too hot for the stuff to grow!

Endah Murniyati said...

Beautiful Amarylis! Your rhubarbs look so fresh, it must be so tasty!

M.E. Masterson said...

Sounds like you are making great progress on the garden! WAHOO!
That Amarylis is gorgeous but I never could keep them not sure I know how really....be nice to see how you do when the time comes.
Oh I will be poppin by for some Rhubarb whatever.....love it! Especially strawberry rhubarb pie!! Yum!

Mama Pea said...

Leigh - Growing up in Illinois we always had rhubarb and the summers there used to be pretty darn hot and humid. (But probably not as hot as yours.) I have always heard that rhubarb needs the "cold" and freezing temps of winter to complete its cycle and make for healthy growth. So that no doubt contributes to your area not being very hospitable for it!

Mama Pea said...

Endah Murniyati - Thank you! Some people don't like rhubarb but I sure do!

Mama Pea said...

M.E. Masterson - I don't know how to keep an amaryllis either (!), but am hoping my friend B can coach me through it!

As far as the strawberry rhubarb pie goes, I always say why spoil good rhubarb by adding strawberries!