Grow them, Enjoy Them

Despite the blur, flowers growing in the yard are wonderful to enjoy. This year, however, the need to bring more indoors as often as possible was on my agenda.

So I have. And the house smells good. Yesterday, I cut a bunch of lilly of the valley (or pulled, no scissors were required) to have inside for today, which has been extremely rainy and dreary. There's still plenty outside to enjoy, but I see and smell them more often on my kitchen table.

Frost Free

May 15th. That's the magic date that northern Ohioans know darn well is the frost free date. After May 15th, get the tomatoes and all other non-hardy plants in the ground. Yet, we tend to push that date as much as possible. And it's not just gardeners, it's the farmers too, who believe that this proven adage won't apply THIS year.

That's why I planted my tomatoes last week. This morning there was frost on the ground. The tomato plants look awful. And that's why I'll be buying new ones this week.

Sumac Lemonade

Liz, the contessa of all things folkloric (I'm not sure if that's a word, but you know what I mean), walked through the woods today and pointed out to me many things I did not know. Like Jack in the Pulpit. It is one of her favorites and she found a giant one, seen here.

She also pointed out May Apples, which I've never known. She said that they get a small lemon colored fruit on them, which deer love, but people can also eat.

Then, and this is exciting, there's sumac. Not poison sumac. Sumar, that apparently can be made into lemonade.

Liz knows everything.

Involuntary Cilantro

If I had a punk band, that would be its name.

But I don't.

This morning, I was planting romaine lettuce and 16 tomato plants. As I went, I pulled weeds. Then I found an unidentified green object (UGO). It wasn't a weed nor was it a volunteer tomato or pumpkin vine.

So logically I ate some. Cilantro! Hooray! Just in time for Cinco de Mayo!

Farm Pond Intruders

Some people enjoy a backyard pond, or "water feature", that has numerous plants and even a koi swimming about.

Others have farm ponds. Some are acres and acres and some are just a little more than a mud puddle. My pond is 1/4 acre and it's pretty clean. Currently, there are two absolutely enormous amurs feeding on any algae or scum. This is good, because I like to swim when it's warm enough to do so. There are also bass, catfish, and bluegill in the pond. There are even two painted turtles I see sunning themselves from time to time.

Then there's my favorites - the frogs. The bullfrogs should be gearing up here soon to find their love interests.

But not every wildlife visitor is welcome. For instance, no geese, no ducks. The idea of them is nice, but they tend to be nothing but trouble! Fortunately, my dog Tilly chases them far away, swimming after them if she must (she has to spit the ball out first, of course).

Then there are the true villains of the pond. The snapping turtle. One was well on his way to my pond when he was spotted. He has since been carefully relocated, not unlike an illegal alien in Arizona.

Why Sabbath?

Many people look at the opening book of the Bible and wonder why God told man to rest. Later, in the 10 Commandments, one of the first things mentioned is to rest. Did God want us to sit around, doing nothing fun, thinking about Him? Is God a narcissist?

Also in the O.T., God instructs the farmers to let the land rest. The land can't worship God, so what's the point?

Perhaps God knows what's good for us. More than we do. So, He told us to rest. It's healthy for people, animals, and the land.

Yet, we are a country that is completely self-righteous about being busy. It is a source of pride. Recently, an author on a radio program mentioned that busy-ness is the "New Stuff." In other words, instead of accumulating wealth, chasing the dollar, adding stuff to the backyard, people now point to their crazy schedules to show how important they are.

An often heard question is "You keeping busy?" Try answering "I try not to" and see the response you get. Clearly, you must be lazy, or more strikingly, you are not important.

What do you think? Is Busy the poor man's currency?

Rhubarb Rhubarb Rhubarb

When I was in a couple of college theatre productions, one director told us that if our role instructed us to stand in the background "talking," we should mouth the word "rhubarb" or "banana." Apparently it was to make it look like natural conversational mouth movements. It just made me hungry. I wonder what the lip readers thought. In case you were wondering, sometimes I got real talking parts.

But it's May and that means if you have rhubarb planted in your garden, you now have LOTS of rhubarb. Growing conditions have been perfect and rhubarb is prolific. One day, I walk by my rhubarb patch, wondering if it will even come back this year, and the next thing I know, it's pouring over the railroad tie borders. Will the wonders of Spring never cease?

It's suggested that you harvest your rhubarb while the stalks are the size of your thumb. Most of what I harvested today is probably the size of SOMEONE'S thumb, but not mine (I have petite thumbs - what can I say? I'm a delicate flower). I chopped it into pieces and froze a whopping 8 cups.

While rhubarb crisp recipes abound, my favorite is Rhubarb Sour Cream Cake. It uses a lot of rhubarb, so if you don't have enough (huh?) add some strawberries.

1/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. finely packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 T. vanilla
2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 c. sour cream
4 c. rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 t. nutmeg

Cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Sift flour with baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Fold in sour cream and rhubarb.

It will be gigantic and gloppy. You will think you screwed it up. You didn't.

Spoon into greased 9x13 glass dish. Mix sugar and nutmeg together. Sprinkle over the cake. Bake in 325 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until cake tester is clean.

Suddenly it will look normal. And it will taste even better!