The Early Spring Harvest

RhubarbAsparagus

Rhubarb – Why You Should Grow It

• Very tough plant – easy to grow and will tolerate neglect

• No real insect or disease problems in home gardens

• Attractive foliage and stems• Rich in fiber, calcium, vitamin C and K• Long lived – 5 – 8 years or more of

productivity• One of the earliest of home grown

vegetables to mature – April• Easy to process

Rhubarb – How to Grow• Propagate from divisions, root stock or crowns

(rhizomes)• The best time to plant rhubarb is in early

spring. • Prepare large hole and add manure, peat

moss or compost • Put crown bud 2 inch below soil• Likes well drained soil so slightly elevated bed

is best• Full sun until mid June then benefits from

shade from afternoon sun• Do not harvest the year of planting and only

lightly the following year until well established• Add composted manure or compost at the

start of each year and at midsummer• Divide every 5-6 years for best growth

Harvesting Rhubarb

• Harvest in spring and early summer • Pull stems by grabbing them near the base and

yanking them• Discard leaves• Clip off bottom thickness• Can peel thin skin off – it can become tough as stem

ages• Simplest pleasure is to wash and dip in sugar and bite• Can be chopped and stewed• Either fresh or stewed rhubarb may be frozen for later

use• Leave plant to grow and renew over the summer

Rhubarb Varieties

• Green stemVictoria –

An edible rhubarb that is pretty enough to use as an ornamental! 'Victoria' sports huge leaves and thick, green stalks that are reddish towards the base.

• Red or pink stemChipman's Canada Red Rhubarb –

Naturally Sweet, Dependably Cold Hardy Colour doesn’t fade during cooking Each crown produce 4-12 lb

Rhubarb Ornamental Varieties

Rheum nobile – Hardy to -17Native to the Himalaya growing at over 4000 metres above sea level, this unusual member of the rhubarb family grows strange white leaves that create a greenhouse effect to protect it’s flowers from the cold elements. Marveled for it’s medicinal properties, the local people enjoy it’s stalk for it’s sour flavor. 1-2 meters tall

Rheum palmatum – Zone 3-9Cousins to regular old garden rhubarb, the ornamental forms are wonderful for their bold, architectural effect in the border. This form has large pointy-edged leaves tinged with bronzy-red in spring, later becoming green. Bizarre spikes of flowers tower overhead in summer, in shades of soft pink to red, and these are interesting as cut flowers. Roots have been used medicinally in China, but the stems are not edible.

Uses of Rhubarb

Recipes – Rhubarb• Rhubarb or Gooseberry Nut Loaf from

A Village Cookbook• • · 2 c flour• · 1 c sugar• · 1 ½ tsp baking powder• · ½ tsp soda• · 1 tsp salt• · ¼ cut of shortening• · 3/4cup orange juice• · 1 egg• · 1 Tbls orange rind• · ½ cup chopped walnuts• · 1 c fresh rhubarb chopped, or gooseberries halved• Preheat oven 350°F• Sift flour (or not), sugar, baking powder, soda and salt

together into a mixing bowl. Add shortening and cut in finely.

• Beat orange juice and egg together with a fork and add to first mixture. Fold in ring, nuts and rhubarb or gooseberries. Put into greased loaf pan, bake in preheated over for about one hour. Test.

• Delicious with tea or coffee and freezes well.

Rhubarb Beef Stew—tasteofhome.com

·2 to 2-1/2 pounds beef stew meat,cut into 1-inch cubes·2 tablespoons butter·2 large onions, chopped·1 teaspoon saffron·1 can (10-1/2 ounces) beef broth·1 cup water·1/4 cup lemon juice·1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley·1-1/2 teaspoons dried mint·2 teaspoons salt·1/4 teaspoon pepper·2 to 3 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb

In a Dutch oven, brown beef in butter. Remove meat from pan drain all but 2 tablespoons drippings. Saute onions until lightly browned. Return meat to pan. Add saffron, broth, water, lemon juice, parsley, mint, salt and pepper; cover and simmer until meat is tender, about 2 hours. Add additional water as needed. Add rhubarb during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Serve over rice.Yield:6 servings.

- from Iran

Asparagus

Asparagus – Why Grow It

• Perennial• Long lived – up to 40 years in home garden• Relatively few problems in home garden• Lacy attractive foliage • Flowers are worked by bees• Versatile vegetable - asparagus spears can be

enjoyed raw, steamed, sautéed, stir-fried• Fresh asparagus spears are a good source of

anti-oxidants such as lutein, zea-xanthin, carotenes, and crypto-xanthins, rich in folates, and B-complex group

Asparagus – Planting the Bed• Prepare spot by deep digging and adding compost or manure• 2-3 established plants for a family of 4• Plant at edge of vegetable patch or towards the back

of perennial border – up to 150 cm in height • well-drained soils or raised beds• full sun or light shade • Can be grown from seeds – takes up to 4 years until ready to

harvest• Most commonly established by planting one-year-old

asparagus plants or crowns• Before you start planting asparagus place the crowns

in a bucket of water to rehydrate. • crowns should be planted in shallow trenches or furrows.• plant 6 to 8 inches deep in light, sandy soils, but only 4 inches

deep in heavier soils• Spread the roots out in the trench with the buds pointing

upward.• After planting, completely fill in the trench with soil• Water well

Asparagus – How to Grow• Control weeds in a home asparagus planting by

hand weeding. In spring avoid damage to emerging spears

• Can mulch with 8-10 centimetres of compost or rotted manure for weed control

• Fertilize with slow release organic before harvest in spring, midsummer and early fall if not using manure and compost

• Although drought-tolerant, is more productive when kept moist

• Do not cut back the asparagus foliage while it is still green. The dead (brown) tops can be cut back in late fall. However, it's generally recommended that the dead top growth be allowed to stand over winter. The dead growth will catch and hold snow. The snow insulates the asparagus crowns and also provides moisture.

• If no snow cover with light airy mulch such as straw

Asparagus features

Male and female plantsFemales – have flowers and berriesMale plants better for food garden as they live longerand produce more spears.Some hybrid varieties produce only male

Asparagus – Harvesting and Storage

• No spears should be harvested during the first growing season; harvested over a three to four week period during its second growing season. In following years, asparagus plantings can be harvested until early to mid-June.

• Harvest asparagus by cutting or snapping the spears when they reach a height of 6 to 8 inches.

• harvested in the morning hours when air temperatures are cool

• immerse them in ice-cold water to remove the heat; then drain the water and place the spears in plastic bags and store in the refrigerator

• Using a sharp knife with a serrated edge (you can buy special asparagus knives) cut the asparagus cleanly 2- 10cm (1"-4") below the ground. Take care not to cut the crown of the plant buried beneath the spear. Do not leave the spears to grow any bigger before cutting or they will have a tougher skin which will need peeling before eating.

Asparagus - Uses

Recipes - Asparagus

Roasted Asparagus -notimetocook.com

A bunch of asparagus—stocks about a finger in thickness. Break or cut off bottom inch or two. Spread on foil lined baking tray. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle lightly with small amount of olive oil. Grate zest of orange. Rumple asparagus to spread seasoning and oil evenly. Respread asparagus on tray.Cook in preheated ove 400°F for 12-15 minutes.Remove from oven and move off tray to prevent further cooking.

Asparagus on Toast -From A Village Cookbook

·1 lb of asparagus tips·1/4 c butter·1 Tbsp lemon juice·2 Tbsp chopped pecans·Salt and pepper to taste·Toast

Cook asparagus, drain well and cut to size of toast. Cutting toast in rounds gives a more elegant look. Melt the butter with the lemon juice.Add pecans and seasonings to your taste.Arrange the asparagus on the toast and pour over the butter-pecan sauce over them.

Other Early Vegetables Harvests

• Fiddleheads are the curled, edible shoots of the ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris).Good source of Vitamin A and C, rich in iron, and other minerals

• Lettuce and Greens

• Radishes