We try to eat seasonally when possible. Most of the time we do pretty good. There are two reasons we are mostly successful at seasonal eating. First of all, out of season fruits and veggies can be EXPENSIVE! Second of all, I don't like to think about my food being on a truck for a week before it even sees a grocery store produce department. Lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and carrots tend to be exceptions because I do enjoy a fresh salad and Bub likes to snack on afresh veggies. Although, I will buy local hothouse veggies when the fresh variety is out of season here.
Anyway, as part of our plan to eat seasonally, we grow rhubarb (among other things). So far I've harvested three pounds this season and frozen a little too from just two plants. I love rhubarb and although I can't convince S-Man to try anything other than rhubarb crisp, I've got a great recipe and you'll find it below for your baking pleasure. It combines a few I've found online into a wonderful, rhubarb dessert.
Before I share my recipe I will tell you one thing: it's gluten free. I'm on a mostly gluten free (specifically a low FODMAP diet) because it truly works and keeps me feeling good. I tested negative for Celiac Disease and so far this approach, to limit fructan rather than eliminating gluten all together, is working. One challenge I have when baking gluten free is finding a flour blend that works. I use one from this book: The Gluten-Free Bible.
Without further ado, here is the recipe I've come up with:
Rhubarb Crisp
For rhubarb "filling":
2 Tbsp flour of choice
1/2 cup white sugar
1 pound of rhubarb cut into 1 inch chunks
For crispy topping:
1/2 cup flour of choice
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup oats (I prefer rolled oats but quick oats will also get the job done)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease an 8x8 baking dish.
Combine flour and white sugar, coat rhubarb, pour into greased baking dish.
Combine remaining ingredients and spread evenly on top of rhubarb.
Bake for about 35 minutes or until rhubarb is tender and oatmeal begins to brown a little.
Let cool as cooling helps the rhubarb mixture to thicken just a little.
Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Enjoy.
Personally, I think the last step is the most important! Seriously, just enjoy!
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Sunday, April 13, 2014
And So it Begins!
Finally, we can see the ground! Finally, the ground has thawed! Finally, temperatures are over 40 degrees (temperatures over 30 felt like a victory)! Finally, we can get outside and burn off some energy! My boys are soooooo over winter and frankly, so am I. Over 100 inches of snow fell last season and the snowpack peaked at 24 inches. Temperatures were low; and so were our spirits. But we made it though somehow and I've never been happier to say hello to spring!
With the start of spring comes the start of outside projects. This year our goal is to plant some trees around the yard to provide some shade and privacy between us and the newly built homes behind us. Trees on the roster include: Norway Maple - Crimson King, Adams Crabapple, and a Plum. We're plotting the yard tonight to see what will work best where.
Today was also the first day of garden planning. Stu rototilled today (with this help of his trusty sidekicks) and manure will be going in soon. Growing lists are also being planned out already.There are still over a dozen bags of frozen beans, two bags of frozen zucchini, four quarts of pasta sauce, countless jars of salsa and four jars of sweet pickles from last fall. All in all, we did pretty good and made good use of our crops last year. This year, we're switching it up a little. Bub loves watermelon so we're going to try our hand at growing some for him. We'll still grow some tomatoes and lettuce. Everything else is up for discussion.
We also switched over to organic fertilizer and weed control for the grass. I've been wanting to make the switch for a while for the animals that live around us but also because last year we had some issues with the tomato plants. We couldn't figure out why the leaves closer to the ground were curly and twisted and finally deduced it was due to the weed spray we used.
And so spring begins, a new season begins, projects begin and life returns.
With the start of spring comes the start of outside projects. This year our goal is to plant some trees around the yard to provide some shade and privacy between us and the newly built homes behind us. Trees on the roster include: Norway Maple - Crimson King, Adams Crabapple, and a Plum. We're plotting the yard tonight to see what will work best where.
Today was also the first day of garden planning. Stu rototilled today (with this help of his trusty sidekicks) and manure will be going in soon. Growing lists are also being planned out already.There are still over a dozen bags of frozen beans, two bags of frozen zucchini, four quarts of pasta sauce, countless jars of salsa and four jars of sweet pickles from last fall. All in all, we did pretty good and made good use of our crops last year. This year, we're switching it up a little. Bub loves watermelon so we're going to try our hand at growing some for him. We'll still grow some tomatoes and lettuce. Everything else is up for discussion.
We also switched over to organic fertilizer and weed control for the grass. I've been wanting to make the switch for a while for the animals that live around us but also because last year we had some issues with the tomato plants. We couldn't figure out why the leaves closer to the ground were curly and twisted and finally deduced it was due to the weed spray we used.
And so spring begins, a new season begins, projects begin and life returns.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Lost in Time
Wow! Summer is NOT a good time to keep up on a blog. I have so much garden progress to report!
Our squash was growing like crazy and has already started slowing down. We have some kind of fungus this year and if I remember correctly, I think we had it last year too. Apparently there are some sprays you can use to try and get rid of it, but we opted for weeper/soaker hoses to minimize the amount of water that lands on the leaves. So far, we are still getting some summer squash but all the plants have the fungus. Fortunately most of the zucchini plants have been able to somehow avoid getting "sick". We will be rotating their location next spring when we plant the 2014 garden.
Our tomatoes are also a bit of a disappointment this year as well. The leaves twisted and curled a few weeks after we planted the garden but the growth above the twisted leaves looks normal. From what research I've done, the only thing that seems to make sense is they were damaged from a weed killer or herbicide of some kind. Both my husband and our neighbor sprayed for weeds earlier in the season. I highly doubt we'll get many tomatoes this year but we still have all of August so we'll see what happens. Such a shame because the homemade tomato sauce I make from this recipe is really good. I adapted the recipe a bit by using frozen tomatoes that have been peeled. I don't add green pepper or as much onion and I only use enough (olive) oil to saute the onion. I start out with the recommended amounts for salt, sugar, basil and parsley but every batch of sauce is different so I do add more of everything as needed. We will also be moving our tomatoes for 2014.
On a positive note: Our beans are AWESOME this year! They are soooo tasty and I think planting them away from onions has been beneficial. The planting charts we used seem to be spot on. We've had fresh beans a few times already and have frozen some as well. We inherited an antique bean slicer from my hubands' parents and he loves to use it to slice beans for freezing. It was originally his grandfather's and they were really close. He passed away when my husband was 14. I think using the bean slicer reminds him of his grandfather. It's amazing how such a simple action can keep a memory alive.
The onions, lettuce and carrots are also doing really well. I'm glad we planted romaine instead of a leaf lettuce variety because even when it's hot out, the lettuce is still crunchy when it's fresh picked and eaten right away. I've been enjoying it with a simple oil and balsamic vinegar dressing.
More later...now I need to grate a GIANT sneaky zucchini that hid in the garden from us for fritters tonight! Om nom nom.
Our squash was growing like crazy and has already started slowing down. We have some kind of fungus this year and if I remember correctly, I think we had it last year too. Apparently there are some sprays you can use to try and get rid of it, but we opted for weeper/soaker hoses to minimize the amount of water that lands on the leaves. So far, we are still getting some summer squash but all the plants have the fungus. Fortunately most of the zucchini plants have been able to somehow avoid getting "sick". We will be rotating their location next spring when we plant the 2014 garden.
Our tomatoes are also a bit of a disappointment this year as well. The leaves twisted and curled a few weeks after we planted the garden but the growth above the twisted leaves looks normal. From what research I've done, the only thing that seems to make sense is they were damaged from a weed killer or herbicide of some kind. Both my husband and our neighbor sprayed for weeds earlier in the season. I highly doubt we'll get many tomatoes this year but we still have all of August so we'll see what happens. Such a shame because the homemade tomato sauce I make from this recipe is really good. I adapted the recipe a bit by using frozen tomatoes that have been peeled. I don't add green pepper or as much onion and I only use enough (olive) oil to saute the onion. I start out with the recommended amounts for salt, sugar, basil and parsley but every batch of sauce is different so I do add more of everything as needed. We will also be moving our tomatoes for 2014.
On a positive note: Our beans are AWESOME this year! They are soooo tasty and I think planting them away from onions has been beneficial. The planting charts we used seem to be spot on. We've had fresh beans a few times already and have frozen some as well. We inherited an antique bean slicer from my hubands' parents and he loves to use it to slice beans for freezing. It was originally his grandfather's and they were really close. He passed away when my husband was 14. I think using the bean slicer reminds him of his grandfather. It's amazing how such a simple action can keep a memory alive.
The onions, lettuce and carrots are also doing really well. I'm glad we planted romaine instead of a leaf lettuce variety because even when it's hot out, the lettuce is still crunchy when it's fresh picked and eaten right away. I've been enjoying it with a simple oil and balsamic vinegar dressing.
More later...now I need to grate a GIANT sneaky zucchini that hid in the garden from us for fritters tonight! Om nom nom.
Monday, June 3, 2013
sprouts!
I'm pleasantly surprised to see some sprouts in the garden today! We planted the garden eight days ago and since then it has rained quite a bit. The rain was good because we didn't have to use our own water (thank you mother nature), and it was potentially bad because it rained pretty heavily at times. It rained so hard we were worried our lettuce seed was washed away but it didn't! Our lettuce is coming up and it looks great! Our squash, zucchini and beans are coming up too! However, after all the rain, our soil is looking pretty packed down. Tonight, S-man and Boy1 are planning on hoeing and planting the marigolds.
Marigolds are great for repelling certain kinds of insects and garden pests. They can even attract good insects to a garden. There are some other great bug repelling plants out there and after this spring's heavy rains, I'm thinking about investing in a few planters for our deck and some mosquito repelling plants. Even if the plants don't successfully repel mosquitoes, at least our deck will look pretty, right?
Back to gardening....After I discovered our garden is sprouting, I discovered I also have a bit of a sunflower problem. Our uneaten birdseed is growing. I really enjoy watching the birds at the feeders, but they have really bad table manners! I also really love sunflowers so I think I'll transplant a few of our volunteer flowers to our east flower bed and see what happens. After that, I suppose I'll be spending some time out front under the bird feeder plucking sunflower seedlings.
Marigolds are great for repelling certain kinds of insects and garden pests. They can even attract good insects to a garden. There are some other great bug repelling plants out there and after this spring's heavy rains, I'm thinking about investing in a few planters for our deck and some mosquito repelling plants. Even if the plants don't successfully repel mosquitoes, at least our deck will look pretty, right?
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| little beans! |
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| squash...or zucchini...i'm not sure |
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| romaine lettuce |
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| too many sunflowers! |
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
a dolphin and a dump truck
Some of the things Boy1 says are unbelievable. I don't mean prophetically unbelievable but unbelievable in the sense that he's still only two years old and talks like a five year old. It's also unbelievable to me the situations he can work through in his head and then verbalize.
The other day Boy1 was playing with his dump truck and somehow a stuffed dolphin ended up riding in the dump truck. Boy1 stopped playing, looked at the truck/dolphin combination, slapped his knee, faked laughed and said "a dolphin in a dump truck, that's so silly mommy". I burst out laughing, and not because of the dolphin in the dump truck (which is actually pretty strange and probably should be reported to the proper authorities should you ever come across the scenario in real life), but because of his response to the situation. I don't know where he learned how to fake laugh and slap his knee. That was actually more surprising to me than his realizing a dolphin wouldn't be riding in a dump truck.
There are two valuable lessons we can all learn from this: 1) if you need a good laugh, spend some time around a two year old and 2) NEVER underestimate your child's intelligence and ability to absorb information. Toddlers can be scary smart sometimes.
The other day Boy1 was playing with his dump truck and somehow a stuffed dolphin ended up riding in the dump truck. Boy1 stopped playing, looked at the truck/dolphin combination, slapped his knee, faked laughed and said "a dolphin in a dump truck, that's so silly mommy". I burst out laughing, and not because of the dolphin in the dump truck (which is actually pretty strange and probably should be reported to the proper authorities should you ever come across the scenario in real life), but because of his response to the situation. I don't know where he learned how to fake laugh and slap his knee. That was actually more surprising to me than his realizing a dolphin wouldn't be riding in a dump truck.
There are two valuable lessons we can all learn from this: 1) if you need a good laugh, spend some time around a two year old and 2) NEVER underestimate your child's intelligence and ability to absorb information. Toddlers can be scary smart sometimes.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
the line up
The garden is planted! It has been raining for most of the day today and it rained for a good portion of the day yesterday. Now, it is super humid and warm. S-man got pretty soggy yesterday but at least we didn't have to turn the sprinklers on right? We planted some transplants and some seeds. Here is the list of what went in the ground yesterday:
SEEDS:
Carrot - Tendersweet
Carrot - Unknown variety (leftover seed from last year - package was thrown out)
Garden Bean - Brittle Wax
Green Bean - Contender
Lettuce - Classic Crisp
Squash - Italiano Largo Hybrid
Summer Squash - 49er Hybrid
Zucchini - Burpee Fordhook
TRANSPLANTS:
Cucumber - Pickling
Onion - Yellow Spanish
Pepper - Early Red
Pepper - Yellow Belle
Pepper - Sweet Banana
Tomato - Better Boy
Tomato - Early Girl
Tomato - Supersweet 100
We used this planting chart from OneCreativeMommy.com to determine which plants would be nice neighbors (eventually I'll get an image up showing how we planted our garden). Figuring out where to plant most of our vegetables was pretty easy. However, it seems like there's always a black sheep amidst the flock. Our black sheep? The beans. Beans are apparently not good to plant next to, well, anything else we have in the garden so we gave them a separate home. Fortunately, in addition to our main garden, we also have another, smaller garden and didn't have to think too much about where to plant those troublesome beans. The smaller garden is an empty bed we haven't landscaped yet and it was the perfect spot for the beans.
In addition to the vegetables we've already planted, we will also be planting some marigolds and nasturtiums around the squash, and we might plant some nasturtiums around the cucumbers and tomatoes. Not only will the flowers look pretty and add some fun colors to the garden, they will also help control certain bugs, nematodes and other nasty little pests. OneCreativeMommy.com also has a handy companion planting chart specifically for insect repelling plants.
I like both planting charts because they are simple and easy to understand. If you like them too, you can print them from this blog post. OneCreativeMommy.com is a really fun blog to peruse when you have a few minutes!
Monday, May 27, 2013
the diaper that broke the camel's back
Last night I hit my limit. More specifically, my poopy diaper-changing limit. My oldest (I'll call him Boy1 - based on order of appearance) will be three years old in August. He's been sort of potty training for a while but with an infant (Boy2) in tow, I've been just a little preoccupied and haven't taken the plunge into the exciting world of potty training yet. Boy2 is becoming much more self-sufficient now that he's approaching the one year mark. Even though he can mostly feed himself and entertain himself for a few minutes, keeping two boys under the age of three alive will keep anyone busy. But I digress...
Boy1 was playing in the backyard last night. He was having a great time running around with his lawnmower and chasing the dog. He stopped running and chasing. He gave S-man "the look". "Do you need to go potty?", S-man asked. "Nope daddy, I'm okay.", replied Boy1. [Note: at this point, I would have brought him inside to the bathroom. I don't yet trust Boy1 that much to stop what he's doing just to go on the toilet. However, I'm letting S-man take the lead more and use his judgement with this type of thing...end note.] I step into the scene a minute or two later and can immediately smell you-know-what. It was not your run of the mill you-know-what either. It was bad. Bad, bad, bad. I'm being non-descriptive here on purpose. I know all you parents have been there. Anyway, that was it. I hit my limit. As I was changing his diaper, I found myself both silently cursing and audibly gagging. I realized at that moment Boy1 was mentally and physically ready; it was me who hadn't been ready for potty training. Who would have thought Boy1 was waiting on me to take the lead? It makes sense when you think about it. Parents are supposed to be the leaders when it comes to teaching children new skills, such as eating with a spoon or potty training. Today is our first day of potty training and so far, so good. We're on a 20 minute schedule and only one accident so far this morning. I know there will be more accidents and I'm okay with that. I'm just glad we waited until I was ready.
In addition to beginning the potty training process, S-man is also planting the garden today! Between trips to the toilet with Boy1, occupying Boy2, feeding everyone and planting the garden, it's just an average day around here. Chaotic, messy, loud and exhausting. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Boy1 was playing in the backyard last night. He was having a great time running around with his lawnmower and chasing the dog. He stopped running and chasing. He gave S-man "the look". "Do you need to go potty?", S-man asked. "Nope daddy, I'm okay.", replied Boy1. [Note: at this point, I would have brought him inside to the bathroom. I don't yet trust Boy1 that much to stop what he's doing just to go on the toilet. However, I'm letting S-man take the lead more and use his judgement with this type of thing...end note.] I step into the scene a minute or two later and can immediately smell you-know-what. It was not your run of the mill you-know-what either. It was bad. Bad, bad, bad. I'm being non-descriptive here on purpose. I know all you parents have been there. Anyway, that was it. I hit my limit. As I was changing his diaper, I found myself both silently cursing and audibly gagging. I realized at that moment Boy1 was mentally and physically ready; it was me who hadn't been ready for potty training. Who would have thought Boy1 was waiting on me to take the lead? It makes sense when you think about it. Parents are supposed to be the leaders when it comes to teaching children new skills, such as eating with a spoon or potty training. Today is our first day of potty training and so far, so good. We're on a 20 minute schedule and only one accident so far this morning. I know there will be more accidents and I'm okay with that. I'm just glad we waited until I was ready.
In addition to beginning the potty training process, S-man is also planting the garden today! Between trips to the toilet with Boy1, occupying Boy2, feeding everyone and planting the garden, it's just an average day around here. Chaotic, messy, loud and exhausting. I wouldn't have it any other way.
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