Can you eat Rhubarb Flowers? Stirfry Style Recipe

Can you eat your Rhubarb Flowers? Yes you can, you just need to do your proper prep work like most veggies. You are going to eat only the flower buds, not the stem, leaves or the paper type husk on the flowers.

The most basic way to eat them is a very lightly steamed veggie as a side dish with a meal with a bit of butter an salt.

Because it can be tricky to get them cooked right, they can easily go mushy if overcooked, so I have created a awesome creamed soup with them for those that want to get the goodness and lovely taste of them with their lemon undertones. Carrot Ginger Rhubarb Flowers Soup Recipe

I was surprised yesterday to find my biggest plant of rhubarb already had a lovely flower lifting from its leaves. I snagged it right up to bring in the house to make into part of my lunch.

I processed the flower into the flower buds only and I decided on noodles with fresh green onions from the garden to go with freshly cooked noodles and a basic sweet and sour Sauce.

Cook enough noodles for the amount of servings you are making per the package instructions. Make a recipe of the sweet and sour sauce made of soy sauce, brown sugar, wine vinegar (or your choice) with a touch of salt, pepper, with half a cup of diced fresh green onion.

I steamed the Rhubarb Flowers in the stir fry pan with a touch of oil and then put water on top to both cook and steam them for 60 to 90 seconds, I then added the hot pre-cooked and drained noodles to the pan and covered it all with the sauce and gently turned it in together while it simmered away and after it was fully heated though and the sauce had reduced a touch. It was plated up..

It was very good, I will continue to explore using the flowers in this way, I can see it being very good with a mix of veggies, thin strips of meat with the same type of sauce over rice.

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Spring Green Drying- For fodder vs Human Use

This fine Monday morning is a one of my double duty days, that mean’s that Dh has his writers group tonight in the big city..  So I will be doing both sets of chores today and the rest of the day will be spent working in the gardens in some way or form.

They say that its going to be very warm on Tuesday and Weds, which means that the next two days are perfect days for some mass air drying of spring greens, the big one I am after at the moment is nettles. One whole hanger is nothing but nettles.

Now about my hangers, yes, they are the netted ones they sell for tidying up a room, they collapse to be flat, they have a heavy-duty clasp on the top that goes over my cloths line or a branch, they swing and sway in the breeze and their biggest downfall is getting everything into and out of those little holes on the front. You can stuff them fuller if you want to do but remember that once’s the leaves wilt that you want a full layer but not multi layers, you need air flow.

The other one is different per load, a mix of pot herbs, mints, greens, wild violets and cedar and flowers..

For the people drying, I will start lots of drying in the hangers if the weather is fine, but I will finish them in the big power dryer, this save time and costs, they will have already wilted down, they will have already started the process outside and I will be able to run a full nine trays load while the others get half way there. This method allows me to pick in the morning, run the dryer during the day, finish them.. and then set the dryer up again to start for round two but being down by bed time.

My wild violets are at the perfect stage of flowering and green for many coming projects, because they will be used for the humans (and perhaps a touch for the critters in terms of salve) they will be put into the big dryer on the herb setting. I have picked just a touch to many for the dryer, so did one layer in the outdoor as well.

Much to my surprise I went over to cut some apple mint, I had already collected the spearmint from a different spot in the garden and there in my biggest rhubarb plant was the start of a flower..  nope.. snip it went..  will be used in lunch today.. Clearly I need to go out and pick some rhubarb.

 

 

 

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Happy Mother’s Day!

Wishing all my readers a wonderful mothers day! My dear hubby has been giving me a wonderful treat day and part of it was a drive and walks by river and cove’s..  Enjoy a peek at some of the area where went walking in..

We did have a goodly amount of rain for most of our time out but as I said to hubby.. we are not made of sugar.. it was very fun!

 

 

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Workshop Today- Permaculture at a awesome farmers market!

I was up at 6 an had everything ready for my drive to the market, the bags were packed, the seeds were ready, the give away plants were full and lovely..  I left in lots of time as I had not been there before and did not want to risk being late.. instead I was early enough to get to spend time walking around admiring the tables.

What a great Market! The venders are so friendly, the produces are excellent and the setups were very nice indeed. I enjoyed working with the staff, Both ladies were outstandingly easy to work with, they are get it done gals!

If you are local and have not been to the market, consider popping by, for a 0 mile gal like me, I have to say I was so very impressed with so many organic, health minded venders, and that ranged from herb’s, plants to the way soaps were made, fresh veggies to grass fed beef and so much more. There is also a vender that does more wild game and his products looked amazing! A pretty perk to it is that the site is open year round, would be worth the trip out from Ottawa area and or montreal area at least once, take the old highway for the pretty river route, or scoot up the 417, do the farmers market, pack it up and hit the Voyager park for day spot and take a walk afterwards.

My little set up before I started talking gardens a hour before, which lead to a much shorter then normal after garden questions, I did fill the two rows of chairs pretty much but 12 to 15 people give or take, less them my normal 40 to 50 that tend to have made other events but the folks that came where interested and active and given many came up afterward to say they enjoyed it and took my card for follow up, I will take that as a win.

As for the talk itself, while we did touch on a number of the permaculture idea’s in a few different ways, It was pulled together by taking the normal annual gardening, taking the permaculture parts to help in the regular garden.  I always feel a little bad when I say, well the books say this but despite trying it this way and that many times, I have never made that work quite the way they say.. but the good part is that I then do my best to share what will work..

I was caught up once again that I realized that I have a lot of land to play with.. but to be fair most of the folks at the event, all had five acres or more as well.. so while they may have smaller gardens they have the land as well. I was thrilled to hear that there is a active edible garden girls in that area and we for sure need to connect them up with the Ottawa edible girls and share info, idea’s and so forth.

They did take photos of me during the talk itself, with my hand’s flying around as always.. but I have not gotten them yet, I Will add to the post when they do come to me..  It was a good time and when I came home, hubby was working in the food forest and meet me with a smile..  That’s the kind of homecoming this farmgal loves!

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Seed Potato’s are in.

Yesterday was busy and then some and the weekend is geared up to be looking the same..

One of the things that came in yesterday was the notice that my seed potato’s were in the post office and that I needed to go pick them up.

I had ordered a few new kinds from Eagle Creek in Alberta, as I only had one kind of potato’s make the winter, we had a freeze happen lost a lot of spuds last fall after they were dug up, I was able to can up a lot and save some for the pantry but with the drought, no where near as much as normal.

We have Seglinde Potato’s from our own pantry but I also got a small amount of new ones from the order as well.. I want to see if there is any difference between the ones that came though the drought and ones that have not.. Time will tell.

I had to order in Pinks as I had not held any over and they are impossible to find in our local area.. They change the amount of pink color inside year to year, but their taste is outstanding!

I do have some of my outstanding purple spuds to plant out again this year

This years new potato is German Butterball.. this is a very long season potato and I am told that it is a outstanding potato in all ways and that it is amazing as a longer term storage potato.. we will see.. we will see..  I have one plot of early, one plot med-season and one that goes well with either early dig or leave for fall and one that is late, late, let it go as long as you can fall dig..

This year I am only growing 5 kinds of potato’s ? how about you?

 

 

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Herbal Wormer and Spring Tonic Balls

This morning, I mixed

  • 1 cup of DE Dirt
  • 1 cup of garlic powder
  • 1/2  a cup of TURMERIC
  • 1 tsp of black pepper
  • 1 cup of molasses
  • 1 cup of mineral and Vit blend from the store for sheep
  • 1 cup of dried rose hips
  • 1 cup of dried mixed nettles and Comfrey greens
  • and 6 cups of milking blend feed
  • Somewhere around one cup and bit of water..
  • you want to mix your Molasses into the dry feed blend first, then add all your herbs and mix it though, then drizzle your water over top, just a bit at first and mix it though. let it sit a min or two to soak in and then try packing it into your measuring cup for portions, if it won’t pack tight, its to dry.. it should NOT be wet.. just moist enough to stick together well.

This was all mixed together and then large dose balls were created for the Big Adults and smaller dose balls were created for ewe’s

The critters love these, the only real issue is trying to make sure that bigger pushy girls don’t get extra dose’s trying to steal the less ranking girls “treat”

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Emergency Meal Kit Challenge!

This is a interesting reblog and a new challenge, the Canadian government wants the average person to have a min of a 72 hours kit, now that’s great.. I thinks its a little short, give most things that get really hairy are longer then that.. but lets give on that and do  the general with recommended 72 hours.

The idea belongs to Homestead Revival with credit given for the post from 2011 and idea 6 years ago but we are going to do a new part two post later today and I am going to make box with photos and I am challenge you to make one too.

Even if you don’t, consider writing in the comments on what you would do different in your box an why or if blogger and you make a box, I will do third post with feedback 🙂

Just another day on the farm's avatarJust another Day on the Farm

Homestead Revival is hosting a Emergency Meal Kit Challenge, its a interesting idea, I have to admit that DH was not quite on board, he just looked at me and said that is the point of the pantry, and I see his point, I really do.. however where the challange was for me is the idea of a whole day of planned meals that would all last six months in storage while at the same time as homemade as possable.. while having limited water and heating..

Now the idea is that its a natural weather issue that knocks out water and power for three days in the house, but we are in fact home when it happens, I have to admit that do store water by the case in the bottles for so many days, I also store water by the drum, but given that I also have a hand…

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Growing Feathers! The Chicks are no longer fluffy!

Dear momma pointed out that I had not taken any new photos of the chicks in a while an she is right.. They are growing well, doing great, active and bright eyed, clean legs and feathers are coming in.

I have some pretty colors in this chicks, Black’s, Dark and light Blue’s, Cream’s and more..

Three toed chicks and five toed chicks, in some cases combs are starting.. I have my bets down on six hens and the rest as roo’s but that’s just a guess based on wing tips as day olds and as we all know, that’s is helpful but still a guess.. We will see, I am positive that the big solid black chick is a roo, just the build, the head shape an the comb already coming in screams it to me.

This photo shows the red in the back and the what will be a soft cream with light browns in the front..  I like the cheek puff on the one I the middle..

Just because I am on baby post.. Fat Bellied little wee jumping beans in their nest..

There mother says.. please cover them back up and GO AWAY!

And little Jayda says, Ha, someone left the top of the feeder open and I was caught sleeping in the hay!

And last but not least.. a bright spot of color to add to your day!

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Sunday’s course- Disaster Planning

Last night I reposted a post I did 5 years ago on basic information in regards to it being prepared just in case and went into a lot more detail in regards to things that history shows us can happen in Canada.

Today I am going to repost a post I did from last year where I took a day course and came home with at home study book and planner on tips on what to do in regards to livestock. The focus of this post was touching more on barn fires as there had been a lot of them that winter, with many animals lives lost.

However there was very good information in the booklet in regards to flooding and livestock as well.

Just another day on the farm's avatarJust another Day on the Farm

The course I took on sunday was put together by Equi-Health Canada

http://www.equihealthcanada.com/

It was the Disaster planning and Emergency Preparedness Course

manual%20cover%20disaster%20planning

“A MUST for any livestock owner, this course will train you in fire prevention, planning for and executing save evacuation procedures, hidden dangers and responding to first aid emergencies. It also covers what to do in natural disasters such as flooding, ice storms, hurricanes, tornadoes and more.  Don’t be unprepared – we can help you help your animals.  This course is suitable for any livestock operation, not just horses.”

These are not cheap courses but they are solid and good.. they send you home with homework and work to do on your own place, they are a great mix of learning and hands on..

I really like this about the course, you get to do drills and hands on with the horses and work in the barn and more.. Sorry…

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Did you know that this week is Emergency Preparedness Week in Canada?

It seems timely in a way to talk about the fact that this week is Canada’s Emergency preparedness week. I am sharing a post I put together five years ago as a starting point for some planned posts to come this week

Just another day on the farm's avatarJust another Day on the Farm

http://www.getprepared.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/ep-wk/tlkt-eng.aspx

Using technology during a disaster

We rely on technology more and more to keep in touch with our family, friends, and colleagues with a click of a button.

But what happens in the event of a major emergency? Suddenly these tools can become vital in helping you and your family deal get in touch and stay informed. So here are some tips on the use of technology in an emergency:

  • If possible, use non-voice channels like text messaging, email or social media. These use less bandwidth than voice communications and may work even when phone service doesn’t.
  • If you must use a phone, keep your conversation brief and convey only vital information to emergency personnel and/or family. This will also conserve your phone’s battery.
  • Unable to complete a call? Wait 10 seconds before redialing to help reduce network congestion. Note, cordless phones rely on electricity and will not work…

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