Rhubarb grown in the garden appears to be more tasty than the rhubarb grown commercially, however, sadly our plant is not as vigorous as we would like it to be. In order to make it go further I add freshly picked strawberries, the two together make a perfect marriage whose seasons luckily coincide. Crumbles aren't just a winter dessert, this tasty combination is delicious cold topped off with icecream.
Sprinkle with a small amount of sugar, some fresh orange or lemon juice, and add your own particular crumble mix ready to cook.
The blossom trees here have excelled themselves this year - never before have we witnessed our Hornbeam tree looking so laiden with flowers.
The bees, butterflies and insects have been loving it too. This beautiful rose with sweet smelling flowers was a birthday gift last year. When I received the rose its flowers were a very pale lemon, but, strangely this year they are more of an apricot shade. L. M. Montgomery in Anne of the Island writes " I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June." Perhaps a lovely thought! But what would we do without Autumns gold? Winters stark beauty or Springs renewal?
This is the third nest that this fine lady Turdus merula - blackbird has built in our garden that we are aware of, but we are now keeping everything crossed for her. Her first nest was raided by a pair of Jays and the second by a gang of Magpies - surely it must be third time lucky for her. In the conservatory this Amaryllis is having a second flowering, she is several years old but reliably keeps on flowering.
She has been joined by this rather unusual, but pretty flower, produced for the first time by a succulent, that I have also had for several years.
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The fruit, after you have sprinkled it with a small amount of sugar, some fresh orange or lemon juice, and the crumble mix, looks divine. Plus I would always add berry yoghurt, whipped cream or vanilla icecream, as your photo shows. Rock on, next Friday night dinner :)
ReplyDeleteAre you having rhubarb next Friday Hels - hope you enjoy.
DeleteYour flowers, as always, are gorgeous! Good luck to Ms Blackbird!
ReplyDeleteI am hoping that this time Ms Blackbird has found a safer place. She has hidden her nest in the top of one of our stone walls so hopfully the Jays will leave her in peace.
DeleteLoved hearing of the tenacity of that blackbird - so hope she gets babies this time! My finch eggs in the hanging basket disappeared - black snake, hawk, or other mean bird got to them!
ReplyDeleteRhubarb looks awesome and strawberries help naturally with the sweetening it requires. Love crumbles with healthy oaty toppings. I've never tried growing any rhubarb and agree the store-bought is not always the best.
Garden trees, shrubs and plants look beautiful Rosemary - so glad this spring, soon to be officially summer, is great there and the gardens are looking so healthy and pretty, much like here!
Hope you are all well - sending love and hugs.
I have been wondering what happened to the House finch's nest built in your arbor that had an infiltrated egg laid there by the Brown-headed cowbird?
DeleteSpring was much later arriving here than it was for you, but for the last few weeks everything has gone mad. However, sadly all of the flowers seem to come and go before I am ready to say goodbye, which I think is perhaps the same for you too.
Love to you and BobX♥️
Rhubarb was always a thing of my childhood; Dad always raised a number of plants under a variety of rusty buckets. I have tried buying it but it's never as good. good to hear about the courageous Blackbird too. A year of Junes? That means I'd have a birthday every month and would be rapidly approaching the age of Methuselah by now!
ReplyDeleteNo John, I think you will be forever youthful from all those countryside walks in fresh English air!
DeleteMary -
I am in agreement with Mary.
DeleteJohn - June is a lovely month to have been born. Spring ends and summer begins. When your birthday arrives or maybe it has already past - hope you have/had a very happy day.
Your crumble looks so tasty :)
ReplyDeleteLovely to see your colourful flowers.
All the best Jan
It is lovely to hear from you Jan - hope all is well with you.
DeleteThat crumble does look good. I could do with it right now on this cold/damp day. Perhaps I should have baked one instead of the biscuits I baked. Always love photos of your garden.
ReplyDeleteMy husband loves crumble - he would eat it every week.
DeleteRhubarb and strawberry pie looks ever so delicious, it's something I don't by these days is rhubarb as I'm the only one to love it.
ReplyDeleteThe flowers are just beautiful rosemary, good to see...thank you.
You could always make a small rhubarb pie and enjoy it all yourself!
DeleteHello Rosemary, Junes in Taiwan are not so much fun, although my family in Ohio has been telling me that they are enjoying some of the most beautiful weather ever. For me, what really makes June great is the long evenings in conjunction with the fine weather. This post, especially with your beautiful rhubarb photos, makes me miss Cleveland. I am hoping to take a trip to the U.S. this year, but nothing has been arranged as of yet.
ReplyDelete--Jim
Hello Jim - you have probably not visited Cleveland as much as you would have liked during this strange period, but hopefully you will be able to arrange and make a trip back home very soon.
DeleteHello, Rosemary. Your crumble looks delicious. I haven’t cooked Rhubarb which looks good full of polyphenol. Your garden looks as vigorous as ever. I really love blackbird, so cute, though I haven’t seen it in person. Nice to know her persistence. June here is a rainy season. I like to feel changing seasons through senses.
ReplyDeleteYoko
Hello Yoko - you are right Rhubarb does contain lots of antioxidents, apparently even more than Kale.
DeleteReally hoping that when I peep at our Blackbird next time it might be possible to see some small wide open yellow beaks from her brood. I think that the spot she has found for her nest this time round is in a safer spot.
We have friends with a large patch of rhubarb that we may avail ourselves of any time we wish, so we have been eating it in various ways of late. My favourite comes in the form of a sauce we serve with chicken. It is really quite delicious and adds a distinct touch to that most versatile of meat.
ReplyDeleteI imagine that it probably gives the chicken a tasty sweet and sour flavour - I will give it a try.
DeleteDear Rosemary, the combination of strawberries and rhubarb is so excellent and yummy!
ReplyDeleteThe rose looks a bit like Gloire de Dijon - but then ist would be a climber?
When I arrived in Berlin at the Victoria Luise Platz (Victoria Luise was the daughter of the last Kaiser, and used a private flat near my flat when she wanted to flee from Court) many roses in full bloom greeted me - they have old vigorous stems as thick as a child's arm - so beautiful!
When I came back to Bavaria "Gertrude Jekyll" on my balcony opened her sweet smelling buds - so very many this year.
A year for roses (though through the heat they quickly fade/wilt).
Dear Britta - I do not remember the name of this rose - I cannot recall where I put the label, but it is not a climber. I have her sitting in the shade so that her flowers last much longer and her sweet smile lingers around.
DeleteBeautiful blooms!
ReplyDeleteAdmittedly I have never liked rhubarb.
I think that it must be an acquired taste - I don't think that you are alone in your dislike William.
DeleteI've been enjoying them both separately recently in various shop bought confections but never tried them together yet.
ReplyDeleteAs you like them both then you would probably like this combination too.
DeleteBounties from your garden are always a welcome sight, dear Rosemary! And that's a sweet pic of your valiant blackbird peeking out. We're in the throws of a strange season here - some deciduous trees are completely denuded and others only just colouring up. It's still the time for Camellias (sasanqua), though, so gardens passed in my travels are looking splendid.
ReplyDeleteDear Pip - I am keeping a close but respectful eye on our blackbird and so far all is well.
DeleteWe know that seasonal and climate changes have always happened, but only since the Industrial Revolution have human activities actually influenced and changed our climate!
Beautiful garden scenes, Rosemary. The Hornbeam blossoms are sensational! Rhubarb is being stewed here these days, and since the strawberries are producing well, your crumble suggestion is on the list of things to make, as well!
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy Lorrie.
DeleteHello Rosemary. Thank you for pointing me to the link for the Lichfield Angel after which David Austin named a rose. I very much enjoyed reading the history of the Angel and will think about that Anglo-Saxon panel when I visit the rose in my garden.
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DeleteRhubarb is just lovely your graden looks fantastic! The rose has an fantastic colour...
ReplyDeleteLove from Titti
I like the colour of the rose too Titti - being given a flower as a birthday present is a gift that keeps on giving year after year.
DeleteDear Rosemary, It's always such a treat when you show photographs of your garden. It must be such a pleasure to be in it and also to work in your garden.
ReplyDeleteDear Gina - unfortunately we don't have the energy that we once had to keep it more pristine - the older we get the bigger the garden feels.
DeleteAnne is always full of wonderful quotes (one of my favourite books as a child!) but you are right, no crisp snow, no golden leaves, no woodlands of bluebells! Fingers crossed for the blackbird. Ours was raided by magpies and they abandoned the nest. xx
ReplyDeleteThe eggs have hatched so we are living in hope.
DeleteI adore strawberry and rhubarb together. Yummy!
ReplyDeleteThe sweetness of the strawberries seem to compliment the tartness of the rhubarb - thanks for your visit.
DeleteStrawberry and rhubarb together is such a match in heaven!
ReplyDeleteLove from Titti
Totally agree Titti💚
DeleteYour photos are so captivating...
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