What did you do in the garden today?

[TJAnonymous]

I've seen a lot less bees and bumblebees in my garden this year.

 

[Sueby]

What do you do with the rhubarb leaves?

A couple ladies at my cooking class recommended to use the rhubarb leaves as top mulch/weed block for the garden. Just cut off the leaves and leave them in the garden. I'm sure it would block the weeds, but I wonder if it would block the rain as well. All the top mulch I have ever used (wood chips, dried grass clippings, leaves, unfinished compost) always had easy drainage. I just don't see that possible with large rhubarb leaves, but maybe it works OK.

I compost them. I think as mulch they shrivel up pretty quick & wouldn't do too much unless you had a ton of them.

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I've seen a lot less bees and bumblebees in my garden this year.

That's so horrible. I have not seen many bees at all this year & it's concerning me. I plant sooo much for them, I even overseeded (much to DHs dismay, lol) the lawn with clover. DH leaves a giant rotating patch of unmowed clover for them. I have (6) 4x4 beds of wildflower & all the butterfly weed & I barely see any honey bees.

So, I did the rhubarita - it's good. Can't really taste the rhubarb, but maybe if I was tasting next to a regular one I would. My rhubarb is a lot more green then red so it's not pretty in a cocktail.
The rhubarb simple syrup:

The rhubarita (needs some red food coloring & a slice of lime!)

& just cuz - I made keto cannoli shells for cannoli tonight My first time, but they came out pretty good!

Looking good @Wee Farmer Sarah!

 

[Sueby]

I am going to butcher our Welsh Harlequin drake this evening. He is so aggressive with the girls. Can't tolerate it anymore. He will be dinner alongside my sweet corn.

Oh my gosh - enjoy! I LOVE duck! Took me years to try it but now I am obsessed. But sorry he's being a jerk & sorry about the 8 foot corn in the 7 foot hoop house. (but it kinda made me giggle reading it)

Do you have a recipe you use for duck or do you just wing it? The one I liked best had me flip it several times during cooking.

 

[gtaus]

I tend to throw the leaves in the firepit just. Could compost them probably. Not sure if toxins will build up in the soil from composting them.

The rhubarb leaves are safe to compost. Here's a snip from Can You Compost Rhubarb Leaves – How To Compost Rhubarb Leaves...

"Yes, composting rhubarb leaves is perfectly safe. Although the leaves contain significant oxalic acid, the acid is broken down and diluted fairly quickly during the decomposition process. In fact, even if your entire compost pile was made up of rhubarb leaves and stalks, the resulting compost will be much akin to any other compost."

Read more at Gardening Know How: Can You Compost Rhubarb Leaves – How To Compost Rhubarb Leaves https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/rhubarb/can-compost-rhubarb-leaves.htm

I would never toss the rhubarb leaves into the chicken run due to the toxins in the leaves.

But I'm not convinced that large rhubarb leaves would make good top mulch either because I can see them blocking water from passing through to the soil. I can see using them as a weed blocker because nothing below is probably getting sunlight or rain.

 

[gtaus]

I compost [rhubarb leaves]. I think as mulch they shrivel up pretty quick & wouldn't do too much unless you had a ton of them.

Thanks. I suppose if the large leaves shrivel up pretty quick, it would be OK as a top mulch but less effective as a weed blocker. I'm just gathering as much info as I can. Thanks for your response.

 

[jerryse]

I received some Egyptian spinach seeds from someone here... Didn't get to plant them this year because of my mom's passing but I do want to try it.

I ordered both kinds. 60 days and loves hot weather.

 

[BReeder!]

Before we got rain today I ran out with the kids and grabbed the garlic off the fence where it was drying and curing. I braided it all and decided to hang it in the new shed (on my side, not the coop side of course). I did hang one braid in the pantry though for us to use for now.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Oh my gosh - enjoy! I LOVE duck! Took me years to try it but now I am obsessed. But sorry he's being a jerk & sorry about the 8 foot corn in the 7 foot hoop house. (but it kinda made me giggle reading it)

Do you have a recipe you use for duck or do you just wing it? The one I liked best had me flip it several times during cooking.

We've butchered 3 ducks in the past. DH cooked/grilled all of them. They were all 3 over done so I will probably cook it myself this time. I don't have a recipe so if you have a recommendation I'm all ears!

 

[Sally PB]

Harvested a small watermelon yesterday too... I'm never quite sure if they are ripe or not.

This was a topic on the noon news. I looked it up and the best sign I could find was to look for a yellow area where it was on the ground. If the area is white, it's not ripe yet.

I would need an expert to thump a dozen and explain the differences in the sound for me to try that method.

I've seen a lot less bees and bumblebees in my garden this year.

I didn't see any honeybees last year, but saw lots of bumbles and other bee-ish insects with pollen baskets on their legs.

Wanting to have more pollinators is the other reason we got a hive this year. The first reason being the honey. Which we won't get until next year, but so it goes. (You leave the honey the first year for the bees to live on through the winter.) It took a few years to get asparagus too.

 

[Smokerbill]

This was a topic on the noon news. I looked it up and the best sign I could find was to look for a yellow area where it was on the ground. If the area is white, it's not ripe yet.

I would need an expert to thump a dozen and explain the differences in the sound for me to try that method.

I didn't see any honeybees last year, but saw lots of bumbles and other bee-ish insects with pollen baskets on their legs.

Wanting to have more pollinators is the other reason we got a hive this year. The first reason being the honey. Which we won't get until next year, but so it goes. (You leave the honey the first year for the bees to live on through the winter.) It took a few years to get asparagus too.

I was thinking about pollinators when I was planning my garden last winter. I left a chunk of my yard go unmowed. Lots of native daisies and dandelions and other things bloomed there. Plus the deer are like to browse there, possibly keeping them from wanting to eat my garden.

I planted marigolds and zinnias in my garden too. Plus I have a second year parsley plant that's about 3 feet tall and getting ready to blossom. It's going to have a lot of little flowers on it.

Only thing is right now I have nothing that needs pollinators. I have a zucchini that might bloom in a week or two, but that's it for a while.

Plus there are loads of salal plants blooming all around the edges of my yard, so I think I have a pollinator friendly place.

But I have not seen one single honey bee all spring.

I tried planting some wildflowers this spring, but it was a bust. Maybe they'll come back next year.