Rhubarb and long grass...

Last Sunday wasn’t too productive with more precipitation, so spent some quality time in the kitchen with the good old “pie plant”.  No pie, but I made Rhubarb Iced Tea, Rhubarb BBQ Sauce, regular Rhubarb Sauce and canned that, and our favorite rhubarb dessert, Rhubarb Cobbler.  Inspired by that, on Thursday this week I made Sweet and Sour Sauce with Rhubarb too.  This morning’s muffin’s were, of course, rhubarb.

What?  Did she say Rhubarb BBQ Sauce?  Yes I did, and it is delicious!  Nope, didn’t come up with that on my own.  I ran across the recipe on someone else’s blog that I follow, and she got it from another website.  Doing a search, I see there are many other versions, some of which have raisins, and/or mustard in them, but that would NEVER go down with this family, I can assure you.  This recipe was well received by everyone, even my sister Carolyn who is up here for two weeks.  Anyway, the recipe makes a small batch, which is nice when you try something new.  I plan to make a much larger batch this weekend, and can some for future enjoyment.

 

So, because I know some of you are going to want it, I will tack the recipe on at the end of this post. 

picked more rhubarb this morning...

It’s been a rainy, cool week again; too much rain.  The wheat field is decidedly soggy; hay is underwater in places when it should be cut.  That’s the way it goes some times.  As far as the garden, well, the weeds love the rain!  Some of my crops are decidedly behind where they should be, others are doing fine.

The picture above is Chinese Cabbage which is new to me this year.

  I plan  to have some in my salad for lunch today.

  The lettuce in the greenhouse is bolting and about done for.  This lettuce in the garden looks great though!

Kevin's favorite, the peas, are coming along nicely!

 

Vinca and Daisy are enjoying the pasture, but as you can see from the long grass, the two of them do not eat enough to keep it down.  Hmmm, maybe we need more goats???  This afternoon we plan to try introducing the doelings back to their mamas.  Are they weaned yet?  Will let you know tomorrow.

The grass is long in the chicken pasture too.

Ever vigilant, Javier keeps a sharp eye on all activity around the farmyard

When Carolyn comes up north during the warmer months, she stays in her home-away-from home north of the barn.  Her two cat companions, Sunny and CJ, are along for some country air.  You can see them peeking out through the screen door.

City cat CJ gets a view of the country through the safety of the screen door...

Carolyn and I visited the Farmer's Market in Aitkin this morning.   I would encourage all of you locals to stop in there on Saturday mornings and support our area growers.  You can meet some very fine people and find some excellent food there.  I brought home bread, fruit syrup, radishes (mine aren't ready yet) and asparagus.  Strawberries are just starting, so next week I would think there will be some nice ones!

And here is that recipe:  

Rhubarb BBQ Sauce
(from Eating Well Magazine)

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups sliced rhubarb, fresh or frozen (thawed)
1/4 cup ketchup 
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper


Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until starting to soften, about 2 minutes. Add rhubarb, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the onion and rhubarb are soft, about 10 minutes.