The highlight of the day was the haul from my two forays into the strawberry patch. Our first day's harvest of berries totaled exactly 5 pounds. Can't beat that with a stick.
After our misty morning, the sun actually did come out for about two hours. What a treat! Unfortunately, I wasn't home for most of that period so we didn't make any headway on construction nor did I move ahead on garden projects.
When I got home it was starting to gray up again so I grabbed my bowl and went out to pick more berries before rain came again.
Got this lovely bowlful for my efforts.Then I managed to get some lettuce, scallions, radishes and rhubarb harvested just before the rain drove me in.
I chopped up the rhubarb and started to make some sauce for the freezer. After lighting a flame under the full saucepan, I left the kitchen . . . and completely forgot about it.
Ever had your house filled with Eau d' Burned Rhubarb? No? Lucky you. Sure hope I can resurrect the pan.The rain has stopped right now but the weatherman is telling us to expect thunderstorms with possible damaging hail tonight. Oh, my poor unprotected tomaters!
Oh, dear! I hope the storm misses your garden completely. Your strawberries look fabulous! Ours were puny this year. Time for a new bed.
ReplyDeleteHi, ThyHand - Thanks for the good wishes. We sure don't need the rain right now and hail on the garden at this point would not be good.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised our berries are coming in as big as they are as the bed is old and I was feeling guilty about not having replaced it this spring. But, gosh, I dislike putting in new plants 'cause it's a year before you get a crop again. I guess if I were smart, I'd only replace half the bed at a time, eh?
5 lbs in a day, wonderful! And here it comes... "rhubarb - schmubarb...." :)
ReplyDeleteHey, Erin - Listen here, Girlie. If you're gonna live "up nort" someday, you're gonna have to learn to like rhubarb! It's the only fruit we can grow up here.
ReplyDeleteI'll grow it alright, then dump tubs of it on your doorstep and steal all your apples LOL!
ReplyDeleteSo I can make plans for next year - how many/much strawberries do you have planted for the two of you? What kind does well in your short summers? I'm looking at those berry pics of yours with lust in my eyes!
ReplyDeleteI did this a few weeks ago with potatoes boiling for mashed. Just about ended up with hashbrowns instead lol. I keep blaming it on the stove not being able to regulate it's temp, not the fact that I keep losing track of time..shhhh.
ReplyDeleteI think we have all done this at one time or another. So many jobs to keep track of at the homestead.
ReplyDeleteI have done that more times than I care to admit, though not with rhubarb. None of it smells nice!
ReplyDeleteI was always able to resurrect the pan by simmering some tomato paste in the bottom. The acid will loosen the burned on mess. Just don't walk away and forget about it (done that too!!!) My kitchen timer is probably my most valuable tool...
Let me see, burnt rhubarb, burnt strawberry jam, burnt you-name-it. I have the focus of a fruit fly. I finally got one of those timers that you can hang around your neck. Of corse, when it goes off, I can never remember what it was for! Sending thoughts of sunshine in you direction...
ReplyDeleteI have a great tip for kitchen safety if you have something on the stove. When you leave the kitchen, carry a clean wooden spoon with you. Don't put it down! Or put it in your front pocket sticking out. You won't ever forget to check the stove again.
ReplyDeleteThose strawberries look so yummy! And the burnt pot on the stove -- been there, done that, most recently with some carrots that I was steaming. Apparently, walking away and letting all the water boil off does not make for good carrots. yucky smell too!
ReplyDeleteOh bother! to borrow Eeyore's phrase. I am soo glad to know I am not the only one who forgets what is on the stove....guilty more than once, just not rhubarb!
ReplyDelete"Mama said there'd be days like this", didn't she?....hope today is a much better one! The strawberries look delish. I'm goin' blackberry pickin' this evening at my son's....they are a bit early this year. Blackberry cobbler, blackberry jelly, YUM!
Oh, rats! It is bad enough to burn food, but to burn food that you grew yourself is downright painful!!! I'm sorry.
ReplyDeleteHi, Erin - When we had the restaurant, I had a source that I bought 100# of rhubarb at a time from . . . so I can handle any rhubarb you dump on my porch!
ReplyDeleteHey, Jordan - We probably have too many strawberry plants! We have about 150 plants but we maybe use more than the average 2 people. Make jam and syrup, dehydrate them to toss in trail mix and granola, freeze to use in smoothies year round, we eat as many fresh as we can and share them with friends and family.
They grow so well up here we don't have to worry about the short season for them. When I order new plants, I go for 1)flavor, and 2) size. Takes just as much time to care for the plants, pick and process a small berry as a large one.
If I were you, I'd start with 50 plants. 25 of each of two varieties and go from there.
Hi, Stephanie - I would normally make rhubarb sauce when I was in the kitchen fixing a meal or some such thing, but this disaster was just poor planning on my part. :o(
Hey, Rick - Isn't that just it? Ya gotta multi-task to get everything done!
Hi, Jen - Thanks for the tip. After soaking it all night in soapy water, this morning I put a little straight vinegar in the pan and boiled it for a minute or so, then let it sit for about an hour. It all came off!
Hey, Susan - "The focus of a fruit fly!" I think I'm gonna use that! Thanks for sending the sunshine our way . . . we had it all day until about 5:30. Now it's gray again, but was a lovely day.
Hey, Jody - Oh, you are such a wise woman! What a good idea. I may just try that.
Hi, Fiona - Um, methinks your burned carrots would smell much worse than my burned rhubarb!
Hi, V - Mmmm, blackberry cobbler, blackberry jelly! I even like blackberry jam, seeds and all. Enjoy!
Hi, Claire - Yeah, and I had to go out and pick it, and clean it, and cut it up, and . . . and . . . and . . . oh, well. My own durn fault!