Hmmm, looks like someone just couldn't help but take a sampling of the bread. (But who can resist bread fresh out of the oven?)
The pie was cool enough to cut into for afternoon coffee break. Papa Pea, Chicken Mama and her fella deemed it down right edible (!), but I was still too full from lunch to taste it.
It's a wonder I resisted because, oh, how I do love rhubarb! Rhubarb anything. I hold fast to the old wives' tale that rhubarb is a spring tonic and I eat as much of it as I can especially when it's in season.
I make it a point to stop harvesting anything from my rhubarb plant by July 4th (mid-summer) because I read it needs the last half of the summer to put its energy into the plant itself for the next year's crop. This seems to work for me (and my rhubarb plant) because I've had the same plant in the same spot for close to twenty years now and it gives me a beautiful crop each year.
I've never had any luck freezing stalks (cut up) of rhubarb over winter. When defrosted they always come out extremely watery and mushy. I'd like to have some for use during the winter for making rhubarb muffins, cake and cobbler but have learned to settle for those goodies during the spring and summer when I can use it fresh. I do, however, make up several packages of rhubarb pie filling (as I used today) and stow them away in the freezer to use to make pies during the winter months. This works out really well. I see by my notes that I put by eight packages of pie filling last summer. This might have been a little overkill 'cause after using the one today, I still have three in the freezer. Since fresh rhubarb should be available in the garden in a couple of months . . . yep, I might have been a little over exuberant last year.
All the poultry, the chickens, ducks and geese are producing eggs like crazy so I need to concentrate on making meals using our abundant supply. So far today we've had fried eggs for breakfast, Pancake Fluff (kind of a puff pancake) for lunch (which used six eggs), and now for dinner . . . what? How 'bout something with eggs? (We're gonna start cackling soon.) But this is lots better than a couple of months ago when I was avoiding cooking anything with eggs because of the production lull of all the birds!
I'm thinking of baking more bread tomorrow. Aha, how about Egg Bread?
26 comments:
The pie looks great! We are not getting many eggs right now. This will be my first year to harvest from our rhubarb. I can't wait.
I've never had rhubarb. What does it taste like?
Mama Pea,
Egg bread, my favorite :-)
I so miss rhubarb, we used to have it all over up north. I've not tried to Hugs,
Sandy
Quiche! I don't care for them but, pickled eggs. Lemon meringue pie!
How do you freeze your rhubarb pie fillings? There is no such thing as too many rhubarb pies!
I have a little trick for freezing really wet veggies like zucchini and it might work for rhubarb as well. I put them in the dehydrator for a few hours before I freeze them. I don't dry them all the way, probably less than halfway, but then they retain their shape and are not pure mush when defrosted.
Kristina - What? Don't your chickens know it's spring time and they are supposed to be producing eggs, eggs, eggs? ;o) Hope your rhubarb plant grows and produces for many, many years for you.
Laurie - Oh, that's a hard one to answer. It's tart and I think some people over-sweeten and ruin it. Kind of like a cross between strawberries and lemons?? But not really. Help! Anybody else out there want to give a better description?
Sandy - Too bad it won't grow in a warmer climate like yours. The way I understand it the roots need the freezing over the winter months to stay healthy.
Katie C. - Yes, if I had thought of quiche early enough last night that's what I would have made. Good idea! I have some hard boiled ones in the refridge right now that I'm going to make into Deviled Eggs for tomorrow. (I know I'm a weirdo, but I don't like meringue!)
Susan - I put it in the freezer. (Sorry, I'm being a real smart blank, aren't I?) I mix up my pie filling in a bowl, pour it into a gallon freezer bag, smoosh it around to make a flat pancake out of it (easier for stacking in the freezer), lay the bags out on cookie sheets in the freezer until they're frozen and then pile them up in the freezer.
I'm with you on thinking there is no such thing as too many rhubarb pies. I've just never made enough that they run over into the next spring season when it's available fresh from the garden!
Farmer Heidi - Now that's an idea! I should give that a try this year. Thank you!
Yeah, ours are producing eggs like made, smoked salmon omelette for tea (I used 12 eggs but don't tell my wife how may was in it!).
I have rubarb ready to pull now so I might have to make something this week with it.
Kev - Oh, a smoked salmon omelette. Sounds wonderful regardless of how many eggs it took!
Your climate is so much milder than ours, that's for sure. Enjoy your first rhubarb picking!
Hi Mama Pea :)) Your pie looks awesome! I was overfed rhubarb growing up, that's the best word I can use to describe it! And I got so sick of eating it, I haven't had it in decades. But your pie makes me want to try it again! And I'm just like you, I can't wait for the bread to cool lol...there was a piece missing from my last loaf and it was still hot, I had to use oven mitts to hold it while I sliced it, I was tempted to just pull piece off like a Barbarian lol...Oooh I LOVE egg bread! I haven't made it in a while though, thanks for the suggestion!! So what did you end up making for dinner with all the eggs??
Well, do you like the lemon curd? Then just use the whites for something else or freeze them.
There's also egg salad which I like but my guy does not. Chopped egg in potato salad or as a garnish on asparagus is a classic. Ok. Now I'm hungry darn it!
Katie C. - All good suggestions and I thank you. I put a lot of hard boiled eggs in my potato salad and I haven't made that but once this past winter. Good idea!
Rain - What did I make?? Either my brain is giving out on me, or things have just been too crazy around here lately 'cause I can't remember! This morning I showed Papa Pea the bowl of 6-7 goose eggs I have in the spare refridge. He asked what I was going to do with them. I told him I have no idea! I've been using the duck and over-abundance of chicken eggs and kinda forgot the goose eggs!
Lol...that's okay, I always forget things, like...how many glasses of wine I had ;)...check out eggs.ca! But the goose eggs are huge right? Would they count as more than one chicken egg for a recipe?
WHAT? You baked a pie and didn't invite me?
Rain - Definitely more than one chicken egg! Can you imagine making a two-egg omelette with two goose eggs??
Goatldi - Ooops. I'll remember to let you know in plenty of time next pie. ;o)
I live too far south for rhubarb, so I pay $5.98/lb for it. Why don't you try partially dehydrating rhubarb and then storing it in freezer. I absolutely love rhubarb. I wonder if I could build a greenhouse to keep them cool while growing.
PP - Yes, Farmer Heidi in the comments up above suggested I try partially dehydrating the rhubarb before freezing. (There's always a way, we just have to find it!)
If I understand correctly, a rhubarb plant needs the freezing of its roots over the winter months in order for it to produce healthy stalks the next season. If you could figure out a way to do that . . .
I think that's a good description. A cross between strawberries and lemon but not a sweetened lemon. Very tart.
Athanasia - Thanks. I'm still not sure that really describes it. I guess I've never thought to describe it for someone else. It's hard! Yes, very tart . . . but not sour, don't you think?
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