Notes from the Rhubarb Patch

The countdown is on....

2011-06-06T03:38:00.000-07:00

The rhubarb is all picked and chopped, the sugar and supplies are all bought! Friday we bake, Saturday we sell! The salsa is the best ever...so don't delay...and pray for another sunny Saturday in downtown Shedden this weekend.

See you at the Festival...check out all the details HERE!.

400 Jars of Jam and Salsa...

2011-05-30T04:20:00.000-07:00

History of the Rosy Rhubarb Festival
Nineteen years ago a small group of people gathered together with the idea to promote our small community of Shedden and also to raise some money for a new community complex.
The old country club had served Shedden and the surrounding area well for nearly 50 years, but the incentive was to have a new, larger structure with a modern kitchen. Rosy Rhubarb was created mainly as a fundraiser for the new building.
Gary Carr, one of the initiators of the fundraising idea, always masqueraded as Rosy Rhubarb. Since his death in December 1996, the organizing committee decided no one else could do the job the way Gary did and retired his costume. But the spirit of Rosy Rhubarb lives on.
The Southwold Keystone Complex is now up and running as a result of many groups along with Rosy Rhubarb working together to make this dream a reality.
Every year, on the second weekend in June, we celebrate the plant that put our village on the map. Gardens are lush with ripe rhubarb waiting to be turned into tasty treats for families, friends and visitors.
Only the best pies, tarts and cakes make it into our annual rhubarb bake-off. The winning entries are auctioned on the Friday night of the festival, kicking off a weekend of fun, community spirit and fundraising.
Come browse the yard sales, participate in the rhubarb pie auction, indulge in local baked goods and our famous Ice Cream With Rhubarb Sauce.

We need a lot of Rhubarb!

2011-05-24T03:37:00.000-07:00

Take a look at the pictures...we picked a truck load of rhubarb yesterday at our neighbour's house. With the help of Michele, Brian, Doug and Kathryn, we had it chopped and bagged in no time. One truck load equals 40 bags of rhubarb, which is enough for about 10 batches of salsa.

It is a lot of work, but the effort is so worthwhile when we take that first taste of delicious rhubarb salsa. This weekend the kitchen will be filled with bottles, and spices and jars. Orders are being accepted now!

Rhubarb upside down cake

2011-05-23T05:23:00.000-07:00

This is a simply delicious dessert! The addition of strawberries in the batter makes for a lovely spring treat.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

The recipe is simple, and makes a very quick and easy addition to your dinner table. The rhubarb is ready! The recipe, with pictures, can be found HERE. This is a great website to bookmark, tons of recipes and fun inspiration.

We are making our salsa and jam this weekend, so get your orders in!

Rhubarb loves this cold wet weather...

2011-05-16T17:52:00.000-07:00

You know spring is here when the rhubarb is ready...and ours is better than ever! I found a new recipe for rhubarb coffee cake and whipped this one up in a jiffy. You can find the recipe HERE.

Michele and I are getting ready start making our famous Rhubarb Salsa. We are taking orders now...same price as last year $6.00 per bottle...

Let me know if you make this, or if you have any other recipes you would like to share.

It was a wonderful day....

2009-06-19T03:55:00.000-07:00

Well another year has come and gone...and another year of lovely weather, meeting old friends...and getting rid of all our pies, jam and salsa....

We will be back in the fall with more yummy treats. Our summer is jam packed with trips to the beach and our dear niece is getting married..so the parties have started!

Drop me a line if you would like to be on our mailing list for upcoming events or to order salsa in the fall...

Till then...enjoy the summer!

Before and After

2009-05-31T16:14:00.001-07:00

Here is what the first 5 batches of uncooked salsa turn into...another 5 batches, and a total of 252 jars of hot and spicy Rhubarb Salsa.

We had a very productive day yesterday...252 jars of salsa, 50 jars of Rhubarb strawberry jam, and 12 jars of Rhubarb/strawberry jam made with Splenda!

We start with very large pots..fill them to the brim with Rhubarb, onions, peppers, and celery, then cook for about 2 hours. We then add our secret ingredients to turn a pot of veggies into a delectable seasonal treat!!!

Thanks for stopping by...and enjoy the sunshine.

Jammin

2009-05-28T18:35:00.000-07:00

We get numerous requests for our recipes for our jam. Happy to let you know we simply follow the directions on the certo box. Certo is a liquid pectin that helps set your jam. As we have learned over the years, measure, measure and measure. It is important that you follow the exact amounts of fruit and sugar to ensure your jam sets after cooking.

For rhubarb jam, you need to stew some rhubarb in a separate pot....then use the cooked rhubarb in the recipes.

Make sure your jars are HOT, and only use new lids....buy a box of certo liquid, follow the directions...you can't go wrong!

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam (our best seller)

4 cups prepared fruit (buy about 1 qt. fully ripe strawberries and 1 lb. fully ripe rhubarb)

1/2 cup water

6-1/2 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

1/2 tsp. butter or margarine

1 pouch CERTO Fruit Pectin

STEM and crush strawberries thoroughly, one layer at a time. Measure 2-1/4 cups prepared strawberries into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot; set aside. Finely chop unpeeled rhubarb. Place in 2-qt. saucepan. Add 1/2 cup water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 2 min. or until rhubarb is soft. Measure exactly 1-3/4 cups prepared rhubarb into saucepot with strawberries; mix well.

STIR sugar into fruit mixture in saucepot. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in pectin. Return to full rolling boil and boil 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

LADLE immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches; add boiling water, if necessary. Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 min. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

Save the Date...

2009-05-28T03:31:00.000-07:00

Before we know it June 13th will be here! What does that mean? Well, that is the day we will be in Shedden to sell our pies, salsa, jam and muffins. Every year (cross your fingers I haven't jinxed us)we have been blessed with sunny skies and no rain! Shedden comes alive for this weekend as the entire village has garage sales, soccer tournaments, and of course Rhubarb.

Check out this LINK to see what the festival is all about. Here is a little blurb from the official web site.

Yes, this June Shedden will hold its 17th annual Rosy Rhubarb Festival and as we know here in Shedden - like your rhubarb patch - every year it gets a little bigger. This year Rosy's had her very own flag, flying proudly from the Keystone Complex flag pole and banners too. The banners and flags were also adorning Shedden's four corners. This year's Rosy was a success, with lots of visitors, some even from as far away as Georgia and Florida. The local newspapers all published photos and features about the event. Let's hope for a great 17th edition of the festival in 2009! See you again next year! The Rosy Rhubarb Festival is organized and run entirely by volunteers from the community. We wish to thank all of them, special mention going to the following: Southwold Fire Department Talbotville Optimist Fingal and Shedden District Optimist Shedden Soccer Dutton and District Lions Shedden Oddfellows.

And now for something completely different...

2009-05-26T18:41:00.000-07:00

A quick post before heading off to bed...I love to craft, and before the summer is over I am going to make one of these leaves. Since my Hubby works for a concrete company, I should be able to score some supplies...

These are a lovely addition to your flower garden. Give one a try and make sure you let us know how it turned out.

Here is the link to the instructions...have fun!

Grow your own rhubarb

2009-05-25T17:02:00.001-07:00

I have been asked a lot lately "how do you grow rhubarb?" The simple answer is get a plant (either from an existing patch or from your local Greenhouse) and plant it! Once it gets started that is pretty much it. Rhubarb does love the sun, so be sure to select a sunny location, add some natural fertilizer (that would be manure, or other organic material). Rhubarb is also a heavy drinker...so keep your plants well watered.

The more you pick the more it grows...I am referring to rhubarb..not your nose! Here is a great resource on growing your own Rhubarb. Check it out HERE.

Rhubarb is so versatile and here is another quick and easy treat to make.

Martha Stewart's Rhubarb Crisp...this is wonderful served warm with a big scoop of french vanilla ice cream

Serves 6

12 tablespoons chilled (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for ramekins
1 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 pounds (6 large stalks) rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (6 cups)
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
Juice of 1 orange
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter six 8-ounce ramekins (or a 2 1/2-quart shallow casserole), and set aside. Make crumb mixture: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and oats. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in chilled butter until mixture comes together into clumps, about 4 to 5 minutes; set aside.
In a large bowl, stir to combine rhubarb, zest, orange juice, and vanilla seeds. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch; sprinkle over rhubarb until just coated. Pour 1 cup rhubarb mixture into each ramekin, and top with 1/2 cup crumb mixture. Bake until the rhubarb is tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 30 minutes (or about 40 minutes for the casserole). Transfer from oven to a cooling rack. Let cool slightly, and serve warm.

Rhubarb Salsa...the dancing has begun.

2009-05-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

We have started our annual "Rhubarb Dance"...getting ready for the festival on June 13th. Each year we do seem to get a little smarter in getting ready for the big day. A couple of weeks ago we chopped all our vegetables for the salsa, and batched them in the freezer. Yesterday all we had to do was open the packages, dump them in the pots and get cooking. After lots of stirring and adding of secret ingredients, we ended the day with 250 jars of Rhubarb Salsa and 140 jars of jam. Next Saturday we get to do it all again.

There is alot of laughter and love stirred into the giant pots of salsa. Our families are great helpers when it comes to picking and cutting, and stirring and the countless other duties we rely on them for.

My sister makes the best pie crust...she follows the recipe on the Tenderflake box...and it turns out flakey every time.

Here is a simple recipe for Rhubarb Custard Pie...let me know how it turns out.

Rhubarb Custard Pie
2 cups of chopped rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
place this in the bottom of your pie crust.

Beat together the following:
2 eggs
1 c of white sugar
1 T of butter
1 T flour

pour over rhubarb, bake in a 400 degree oven till set...about 35-45 minutes.

Serve cold will a huge scoop of ice cream. Yummy!