Rhubarb Galore!

We are getting into rhubarb season here in Michigan and I love it!  I don't have my own rhubarb plants right now, because I've heard it doesn't really like containers and I don't know how long we'll be living here, so I don't want to invest in plants that I may be leaving behind before I ever even get to harvest.  But I do know other people with rhubarb...and they are the nice kind of people that share.  Yay!  So last weekend, I ended up with a fair amount of rhubarb to play with.  It seems to have mysteriously disappeared though.

Okay, it didn't mysteriously disappear.  I ate it.  Well, I ate most of it.  I did share some.  They made me.

The first bit of rhubarb I ate was on a whim.  I had some leftover crust dough the other day from making pasties for dinner, so I cut up about a cup of rhubarb, added about 1/4 cup of sugar, and a sprinkling of cinnamon to the rhubarb and made little tarts to use the crust up.

Those I didn't share.  My son thought they were just more pasties and I didn't correct him.  Some days, I'm a bad mommy.  It was past his bedtime anyway.

Then, a couple days later, I couldn't decide what to have for breakfast, since we were out of bread so I couldn't have the eggs and toast I wanted, and decided that rhubarb crumble wouldn't be a bad breakfast, since anything that has rhubarb, whole wheat, and oats, can't be that bad. 

I know I've posted a recipe for rhubarb crisp before, but this is different enough that I thought I should post it too, especially since, unlike my rhubarb crisp recipe (which contains eggs), this can be made vegan by using a non-hydrogenized vegan margarine (the hygrogenized oils don't make it non-vegan, but it does make it laden with trans fats, despite tricky packaging that may claim there is "no trans fat per serving" and having serious heart problems isn't thrifty!) instead of the butter.

Rhubarb Crumble

 4 cups sliced rhubarb

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

4 tbsp cold butter

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup quick oats

Preheat oven to 350.  Place rhubarb in a greased casserole dish.  Sprinkle white sugar and cinnamon over the top.  Set aside.

In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Cut in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in brown sugar and oats.  Sprinkle over the rhubarb.  Bake for 40-50 minutes.  Serve warm or cold.

Cool Summer Meal--Chicken Pasta Salad and Homemade Lemonade

It has been hot here the past couple of days!  As in, I'm taking a break from diggin' out the yard because it is too frigging hot!  A frustrating turn, since I only have one more bed to dig out, but I digress.

Not only is it too hot to dig, but it is too hot to turn the oven on--so I haven't been.  One of my favorite summery meals is cold chicken or tuna pasta salad, since it can be made in the early morning or late at night when the temperature is more reasonable and then served whenever.  And, of course, a nice, refreshing glass of lemonade is always welcome on hot days!

EASY LEMONADE

6 cups cold water
2 cups lemon juice (approximately 8 lemons)
1 heaping cup of sugar (adjust to taste)

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher.  Chill and serve with ice.

CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

4 cups uncooked pasta
2 cups frozen peas
1 onion, chopped
1 lg can of tuna (drained), canned chicken (drained), or approximately 1 cup fresh chicken, diced
1 cup mayonnaise or whipped salad dressing (like Miracle Whip)
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 tbsp paprika
salt to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Rinse in cold water.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, mixing thoroughly.  For best taste, chill for at least a couple hours, but may be served immediately as well.

Double Duty Salad Dressing in a Flash

A guest post by author Michael Nolan

The first time it happened changed my life forever.

I had constructed the perfect salad from my garden.  Every piece grown by my own two hands from the variety of baby lettuces to the onions, the carrots, cucumbers and even my precious heirloom tomatoes.  Then I opened the fridge and realized that I was out of salad dressing.

I stood there with the refrigerator door nearly as agape as my mouth and it hit me - why can't I make my own salad dressing?  A few minutes later I was pouring this delicious, sweet, tart and tangy concoction over my salad and I've been making my own ever since.

Michael Nolan's Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette

This recipe yields about 1/2 cup, enough for 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon sugar (I use turbinado, agave nectar or honey depending on my mood)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
1.  Place everything in a bowl and whisk well with a wire whisk.  Alternatively you can place the ingredients in a blender to help emulsify the oil and meld the flavors even more.
Seriously, could it be any easier than that?  But wait, there's more!

You can use this tasty dressing as a sauce by reducing it over medium heat for a few minutes, or until the volume has reduced by half.  It is amazing over grilled chicken!



Michael Nolan, The Garden Rockstar is an author, blogger and speaker on gardening, sustainability, food ethics and homesteading.  He is currently in the process of writing a new guest post on a different site for each day in May. To follow his progress, visit MyEarthGarden.com.

Goin' All Out--a Trailer Park Homestead Update

This week, for the first time, I have no indoor pictures to show you of plants growing.  I finally put them all out!  I haven't had a chance to stick all of them in the ground yet, largely due to a lack of time and compost, but I'm working on it and even the ones still in the seedling cups and eggshells are permanently outside now!

A picture says a 1000 words, so let me just show you what I've been up to this week!  Can ya dig it?  I know I've been digging it a lot!  Don't mind the weeds though, since I've been focused on getting everything in before I clean everything up and make it pretty.  Here ya go:

Four beds dug back here, three to go!  In the meantime, the row of sunflowers/corn/vining stuff has all been planted, as has the corn between the tomatoes and leafy stuff.  The tomatoes are now in their buckets as well.

These cucumber plants will be climbing the garage wall in a few weeks.  Why?  Because I said so!

Proof I have the world's best husband.  He built me a potato condo!  This project was free, courtesy of using old fence boards and composted horse manure (with other composts joining it as we go)!

The rock lined bed on the left didn't exist 2 days ago.  Now it already contains a combination of vegetables and flowers, with more to come as I get more compost.  The ugly planter that was here when we moved in has been given new life by being completely taken apart and split into 4 mini planters, each of which contains a different vining plant: cantaloupe, zucchini, watermelon, and cucumber.  The berry bushes in the background are starting to take off and the mystery flowers in the brick beds are starting to look like they aren't going to die.

View from the street

Zucchini?

This bed is completely planted.  Cucumbers and tomatoes in the back row, with peas in containers behind it.  The middle squares contain broccoli, the ones on the right have green peppers.  The rest contain spinach and carrots

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My <$1000 Wedding

Today is my 8th wedding anniversary! I can't believe I've put up with that man been happily married that long! I won't lie--it's been rough at times, especially two years ago when he was injured and unable to work for almost a year, as well as other troubles I won't bore you with, but I think our relationship has only gotten stronger as a result.

We've never had a lot of money, but that's okay.  We more than make up for it with the love our family shares.  Even at the beginning, we started of with having to have a cheap wedding.  I've heard many a friend mention that they "have" to wait years to marry their fiance, so they can save enough money to have a nice wedding.  I don't get it.  My wedding was nice enough to keep me, my husband (like he actually cared about the wedding), and both of our families happy...without breaking the bank!

And you know what?  We are just as married as couples that spend the $22,000 that the "average" (seriously!) wedding cost the year we got married.  Actually, probably more married, since I wouldn't be surprised if more of those couples got divorced in the years before now because of the strain of that extra financial burden!

Since it was 8 years ago, I don't remember exactly what was spent on what, so if you want to know more details about any part, I'll be happy to try to dig that aspect out of my memory!  I can tell you that the lilacs were blooming, the cake was lovely (my mom made it), the food was good (my mother-in-law and her friend made it), my dress was beautiful (my sister-in-law made it), and it was at a meaningful location (my grandparents' house when I was growing up).  And most importantly, our wedding license got signed and we celebrated it with friends and family.