Spring Rhubarb Recipes

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Ann Lovejoy
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Reveling In Rhubarb Sorbet

Even in a cold year like this, by early April the garden is waking up and stretching. Herbs abound, greens are coming on fast, and asparagus is finally big enough to pick. Finding the year’s first rhubarb is always an event that requires celebration. Here are some celebratory and tasty ways to try this fascinating vegetable, which is usually classified as a fruit because of its tangy, citrus-like flavor.

I first tasted Rhubarb Sorbet at an elegant dinner party where all the guests were gardeners, including England’s Penelope Hobhouse. Penelope was the only one able to guess what this silky, delicate dish was made of that night, and I’ve stumped everybody I’ve served it to ever since. Light, refreshing and subtly flavorful, it makes a perfect finish for a rich meal.

Rhubarb Sorbet

8 cups (about 2 pounds) rhubarb stems, chopped in 1 inch pieces
1 – 2 cups sugar OR 1/2 cup honey
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Rinse rhubarb and place, still wet, in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle with 1 cup sugar or 1/2 cup honey, cover pan and “sweat’ fruit until juices start to run. Reduce heat to low, stir in nutmeg and simmer until very tender (about 20 minutes). Taste the mush at this point and add more sweetener if desired. Put mush through a ricer or rub through a strainer to remove “strings”. Freeze in an ice cream maker or in an ice cube tray (stir every hour with a fork to break up ice crystals). Makes about 3 cups.

Beautiful Blood Oranges

In Italy, moros or blood oranges arrive at the tail end of winter. I have been delighted to find this tart-sweet, dusky skinned fruit at my local grocery store from late winter into early spring. Though its season is short, its savor is sumptuous and the sparkling red color is especially lovely.

Mottled with ruby red and deep orange, peeled blood orange sections are excellent in salads. They also add snap to Halibut With Rhubarb and Blood Orange Chutney. Fresh halibut fillets are lightly pan fried, then served with a splash of fresh sweet-and-sour chutney, spunky with hot peppers. This garlicky sauce is also splendid with all kinds of meat, from turkey or chicken to roast pork or lamb.

Halibut With Rhubarb and Blood Orange Chutney

1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
2 dried hot peppers
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups rhubarb, cut in 1 inch pieces
1-3 tablespoons sugar OR fructose
2 organic blood oranges, sectioned, membrane peeled
1 1/2 pounds halibut fillet (2 inches thick), cut in four pieces
1 bunch cilantro, stemmed

In a saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon oil with the dried peppers over medium high heat. Brown the peppers well, discard peppers and add half the garlic and the onion. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, the cumin, coriander, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, until golden (5-7 minutes). Add rhubarb, cover pan, reduce heat to medium low and simmer until tender (about 15 minutes). Add sugar to taste (mixture should taste sweet-tart). Remove from heat, stir in blood orange sections, set aside. In a shallow pan, heat remaining oil and garlic over medium high heat. Add halibut and cook over medium heat until fish is opaque when flaked (5-6 minutes per side, internal temperature of 136 degrees F). Serve at once, garnished with rhubarb orange chutney and cilantro. Serves 4.

A Spunky Spring Dessert

Those who love not-too-sweet treats appreciate Rhubarb Brown Betty. This New England Classic is usually made with lots of butter and topped with whipped cream. Here is a leaner version with a fresh, bright flavor and a crunchy walnut-hazelnut topping.

Rhubarb Brown Betty

3 cups fresh whole grain bread crumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons walnut oil OR vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 organic orange, juiced, rind grated
8 cups rhubarb, cut in 1 inch pieces
1 – 2 cups sugar OR 1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup hazelnuts, chopped

In a food processor or mixing bowl, blend bread crumbs, butter, oil, spices and brown sugar, set aside. Line  a baking dish with 1/3 of the crumb mix, top with rhubarb and sprinkle with sugar or fructose. Use the lesser amount if you prefer tart desserts and the greater amount for a sweeter one. Drizzle with orange juice and sprinkle on 1 teaspoon grated rind.  Blend nuts into remaining crumbs and pat over top of rhubarb. Bake at 350 until golden brown (about 45 minutes). Serve hot. Serves 4-6.

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Take Two (But Don’t Call Me)

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Ann Lovejoy
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Helping Gardening Headaches

Several readers recently asked how to nurture new plantings that are not thriving. This cold, wet weather is making for very slow starts, but really, that is not unusual. Spring weather is often stressful, and young plants are especially vulnerable.

To promote deep-reaching roots that can forage effectively for nutrients and water, provide deep (2-4 inches) of mature compost mulch on all beds. Both edibles and ornamentals will benefit, so also spread some mature compost around the entire root zone of stressed trees and shrubs.

Resist The Need To Feed

When plants are failing before our eyes, it’s tempting to force-feed with soluble chemical fertilizers. In spring, when root growth is slowed by cold soil and chilly nights, strong artificial fertilizers can maim or even kill an ailing plant that might respond better to less aggressive measures.

As doctors classically suggest, try aspirin first. That may sound weird, but aspirin (salicylic acid) is derived from the willow family (Salix). Medicinal willow extracts have been used for thousands of years, and similar preparations can also benefit plants.

A Natural Rooting Extract

Few non-professionals realize that proprietary rooting hormone products have a very short shelf life. Once opened, they are good for a few weeks at most. The good news is that in most parts of the country, nature’s own version is available for free.

Willow water, steeped from chopped willow twigs, encourages strong, rapid root growth in cuttings, divisions, and young transplants and can also aid ailing established plants. To make it, cover a quart of chopped willow twigs with two gallons of water and let steep overnight or up to several days. Use this natural rooting stimulant on seedlings as well as any plants that are struggling after the cold, wet winter. You can also use it generously when you plant, transplant, or strike cuttings.

Strike While The Willow Water Is Fresh

To strike cuttings easily, plunge them into a bucket or large jar of willow water and leave them there until they start to produce roots. In some cases, this takes only a few days. For slower-to-root cuttings, add a handful of freshly cut willow twigs every few days along with some fresh water.

Because water-formed roots are not always equipped to deal with heavy soil, transfer sticks with new roots to tall jars with straight sides (this helps you get them out later), filing the jars with fresh willow water. Every day or so, sift in some compost and soil every few days so the roots can grow into soil. Transplant when new growth is evident.

Aspirin Works For Plants, Too

Recent research shows that many plants produce salicylic acid and similar substances in tiny amounts. These benign compounds trigger natural protective responses, increasing root length and strength and promoting denser, stronger foliage. Plants watered or sprayed with a solution of water and regular aspirin tablets exhibited many of these protective responses. Treated plants grew faster and were better able to fend off pests and diseases than untreated counterparts.

At the University of Rhode Island’s organic trial gardens, aspirin water significantly increased the productivity of tomatoes, basil, peppers, eggplant and other herbs, fruits, and vegetables. The  trial gardeners grow mixed food crops in raised beds with compost-enriched soil and drip irrigation. Every three weeks during the summer, foliage is sprayed with a blend of 975 mg aspirin (3 tablets) to 4 gallons of water. This ratio has been found to be the most effective, both for crop improvement and plant health benefits.

Use It Fresh And Mind The Bees

Aspirin water should be used fresh, preferably as soon as it is made. For best results, spray plants every three weeks. Never put aspirin water in a sprayer that has been used for pesticides of any kind. If you don’t have a clean sprayer, use a watering can with a large sprinkling rose (3-4 inches across) for watering delicate seedlings.

To avoid foliage problems, spray early on a warm, still day, so leaves dry off thoroughly before cooler evening hours arrive. To avoid harming bees or other pollinators, spray before these beneficial insects are present (usually before the sun reaches the plants you are treating).

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Scotch Broom and Rotten Eggs

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Ann Lovejoy
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Wax On, Wax Off, Eventually

Having just spent much of the day buried in my dishwasher, laboriously removing wax (a long story, involving canning jars that once held candles…), I am very happy to discuss something new. However, if such a thing should happen to you, know that a hair dryer will prove most useful, as will old newspapers (very absorbent of wax).

Gardening With Rotten Eggs

Deer, as always, are nibbling away at my garden on an hourly basis. Recently, a friend told me she had achieved amazing success in keeping browsing deer at bay. Every day, she blends three eggs in a gallon of water and sprays it on her plants. For once, the deer stay away in droves.

I decided to try it myself and quickly realized why this works so well. Even in cool spring weather, eggs start to smell pretty disgusting after a few days. After some initial experimenting, I settled on using eggs only on outlying plants in areas where we don’t spend a lot of time. I also decided NOT to use rotten eggs on roses, lilacs, and other sweet-smelling plants.

Why? Call me a fusspot, but roses that smell like sulfur are just not appealing. However! Does it work? So far, it sure does. My front garden is relatively untouched and shrubs I planted this month still have leaves and stems! Wow!

How Often?

In spring, frequent egg spraying is a great idea, since tender new growth is appearing constantly. Also, when it rains, the egg spray needs to be replaced right away. You won’t need to spray daily in high summer; weekly seems to be enough. However, remember that in high summer, the eggs will also smell high, so keep them away from your favorite spots.
If your eggshells take too long to break down in compost, you can put them in the worm bin if well crushed. Despite rumors to the contrary, slugs and snails are not in the least bit deterred by crushed egg shells and they look totally tacky in the garden.

Sweeping Scotch Broom Away

All around the Northwest, Scotch broom has been gaining ground over the past few years. It’s wise to cut or pull it when it is in bloom,  before it has a chance to set seed. Indeed, I prefer to remove Scotch broom in winter. The ground is soft, the roots come up easily, and the sneeze-promoting blooms aren’t open.

However, please don’t feel you need to wait until next winter to attack. As an allergy sufferer, Scotch broom is high on my list of weeds to eradicate any time, any where.

A Whack Attack

The good news is that Scotch broom is relatively easy to defeat, at least temporarily. Young broom plants can often be pulled out roots and all. They can also be weed-whacked, which is usually lethal in summer. This doesn’t always work in spring, when growth hormones are rampant in plants. At other times of year, one low whack is usually enough to off a youngster broom.

Older broom plants can be fatally cut back with a machete or brush cutter. When stubbed back or pruned to within a few inches of the ground, old growth Scotch broom is done for at any season.

Seed Casting Spreads Weeds

Whacking or pulling gets rid of broom for a while, but vigilance is still important. Scotch broom casts its seed far and wide–you can hear the seedpods crack open on hot summer days. When ripe, the split seedpods roll themselves up in little coils, sending the seeds amazingly long distances from Mama. Sometimes you’ll even get beaned as seeds go whizzing past your ears in late summer.

To keep the seeds from sprouting, spread 2-4 inches of coarse bark or any kind of mulch where ever you remove Scotch broom. Without light and air, the seeds will lie dormant instead of sprouting come spring. (Most weeds produce “seeds of disturbance” which germinate best when exposed to light and air.)

Burn, Baby Burn

If you attack Scotch broom now, please remember that, thanks to its volatile oils, broom can self-ignite when piled up (usually in July and August). If you have a shredder, finely shred your Scotch broom and blend it half-and-half with chopped ivy for fast and valuable compost (the best revenge).

Posted in composting, Garden Prep, Pets & Pests In The Garden, Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living, Weed Control | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Planting Peas On (or Around) Saint Patrick’s Day

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Ann Lovejoy
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Plant Those Peas Any Time Now

by Robin Bachtler-Cushman

Generations of gardeners have sown their peas on Saint Patrick’s Day. The timing is more or less accurate, but there’s a better way to be sure that garden conditions are truly right. Professional growers sow peas not by date but by average daily temperature. You are probably not tracking this interesting statistic, but quite a few plants can achieve this feat.

Among them is the common lilac, which leafs out when average day and night temperatures hit a certain point. Though the Saint Patrick’s Day planting timing often works, a more accurate rule of thumb is to plant your peas when lilac leaves are the size of a mouse’s ear.  That’s about the size of your pinky fingernail, a factoid I happen to know because our cats often leave mouse heads (and feet) by the back door for our delectation and admiration.

Perfect Soil For Peas, Please

Before planting, pick a well drained spot in full sun (or the sunniest place you can find). If the soil doesn’t drain well, build up the bed into mounds, using top soil mixed with compost. Hopefully, you can find lovely soil that drains well yet contains enough organic matter that it also retains plenty of moisture. This ideal combination is exactly what peas (and many vegetables) prefer.

Great soil reduces the chances of developing fusarium wilt, or pea root rot, which is one of the worst pea growing problems in heavy Northwestern clay soils. To avoid it, what we want is quick sprouting followed by rapid rooting. rather than sluggish sprouting and slow rotting, as may happen in cold, soggy soils.

Raised Beds and Containers

If you use raised or mounded beds, your peas will get off to a good start. Thanks to rapacious deer, I now grow my peas on a sunny deck in huge tree pots, where the roots have plenty of soil depth to spread into but the soil drains quickly. The soil in my big black containers warms up sooner than the ground does, so the peas sprout fast and produce deep, sturdy roots that give the plants extra vigor.

When In Doubt, Inoculate

If you’ve had trouble growing peas, you can improve your crops by using bacterial inoculants.  Before planting, soak the dried peas for an hour in cool water, then roll them in a legume inoculant. This powdery stuff contains stabilized bacteria (rhizobia) that help legumes (members of the pea and bean family) produce large quantities of nitrogen-fixing nodules on their roots even in cool weather.

All legumes fix nitrogen in this way eventually, as you can see when you look at pea or bean roots. (You’ll also see these nodules on clover roots and even alder roots.) The little whitish lumps you’ll notice clustered along the rootlets are storage containers that hold captured atmospheric nitrogen that gets absorbed from the air through the plant’s leaves.

If you cut the plant tops off members of the legume family instead of pulling the plants up when a crop is harvested, those nodule-studded legume roots will slowly release the stored nitrogen back into the soil to nourish your next crop.

Read The Small Print

Check the packet before buying an inoculant; you want one that  works for all peas, including sweet peas, and for string beans, snap beans, and lima beans.  Though pea plants will make the nodules sooner or later anyway, you’ll get larger crops sooner with an inoculant, because many soils lack adequate colonies of the bacteria legumes need, so it takes plants longer to get in gear. Given the right inoculant, the young roots will function fully right away.

Slow Food For Fast Crops

To keep peas growing well, work in a complete organic fertilizer that offers balanced nutrition. Interestingly, young plants can’t handle high nitrogen feeds, so stick with a moderate 5-5-5 or even a 2-4-3 at first. Compost, kelp meal, and/or liquid kelp (such as Maxi-Crop) offer excellent early encouragement without excess nitrogen.

Sowing And Growing Peas

To sow peas, make a shallow furrow with your trowel and plant them about an inch deep and about four inches apart. If your soil is well enriched with compost, you can simply push the peas into the soft soil to a depth of an inch or a little more.

Some gardeners like to pre-sprout their peas to make sure they get off to a good start. To do this, inoculate your peas, then roll them up in a damp paper towel and tuck it into a plastic bag. Leave the top open so you don’t get mold or mildew problems. Indoors, you may see pea germination in as few as five days, while outside in chilly soil it may take as long as two weeks.

Protecting Peas

Plant sprouted peas about four inches apart, placing the pea-seed an inch below the soil surface. Tamp the soil gently but firmly and water in well to avoid air pockets that can damage rootlets. If crows, squirrels, or deer are a problem, protect young plants with floating row cover cloth, pinned down every few inches with wire earth staples or stout sticks (about 6 inches long).

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