Doing the Rhubarb Crumble!

A small part of our garden is kept a bit wild to shelter insect-eating friends like hedgehogs and lizards.

Pleasingly unkempt back corner, with weedy grass, bluebells and ivy.

Dayo appreciates the camouflage as he does a good job of catching Asiatic wasps hatching from the ground which is a serious problem in our region.

Dayo keeps his paw over the emerging wasp until I can squash it.  We make a great team.

The peas sown in mid February are merrily putting out flowers and in a couple of weeks there will be les petits pois to harvest.

The nodding heads of pea flowers

The hard-neck garlic will probably be ready for scape harvesting in a couple of weeks.

Cosily mulched under oak leaves

The delectable method of baking fruit under a buttery crumb topping is called crisp for Americans, crumble for the British. This approach towards flour and butter is a very clever way of getting much of the delights of a pastry crust without the bother.  Rhubarb is a splendid looking plant, about three-feet high and just as wide, quite bold in contour, sporting large, crinkled leaves.  Being a perennial, it comes back year after year.

Handsome rhubarb lends itself well to an edible landscape--a few are in my front garden

However, it is a moisture lover, so I do have to keep it well watered during our long, hot growing season.  Since rhubarb lasts for about 15 years, good preparation at planting time needs to be done--a deeply dug hole with lots of incorporated compost is essential.  Rhubarb grows well in full sun or part-shade; a few can be placed in the smaller bays between larger shrubs as long as the area is pesticide and herbicide free.

It is one of the perennials popping out in early spring, with its delightful, large, pinkish, egg-shaped ball of leaves ready to unfurl.  Though there are named varieties, I was just able to get from my nursery what they call red rhubarb.   Both green and red rhubarb taste the same, but I like how the red looks in cooking.  If green is only available, a few strawberries which are usually available at the same time, can be tossed into a recipe for colour.

Since the leaves are poisonous, it is important to carefully remove them when preparing rhubarb for cooking.  Though the huge flower buds are edible and supposedly taste like broccoli, I forgo eating them because they are tightly wrapped in young leaves.  However, the leaves and buds can be safely composted.  There are some varieties of ornamental rhubarb that are grown for flowers, but in general, for food-producing plants, flowering suddenly becomes very undesired and is referred to as bolting.  All energy needs to be channelled into the edible parts.  So, off with their heads!

I try to remove the buds as soon as I can see them as they get as big as broccoli with very thick stalks

No harvest is recommended the first spring after their planting, a limited one for the second spring, but for the third, a full harvest of about six to eight stalks can be done several times in a season.  Our plants are entering their third spring so we are very pleased as we both adore rhubarb.  The Calm One has loved rhubarb since childhood, while I reluctantly at first ate it, and then fell passionately in love with its no-holds-bar, in-your-face zing.  The punchy taste of rhubarb begs for the taming influence of butter, flour, and cream.

If using garden-fresh rhubarb, it is best not to harvest stalks by cutting them off at soil level because any remaining stalk under the soil will rot, possibly causing disease.  Pull upward with a slight twist from the bottom of the stalk.  Sometimes, I need to use both hands for the more sturdy stalks.

Just pulled rhubarb stalks gracing a sous sol window sill

I like putting leeks and rhubarb in this little glass pitcher, don't ask me why.

Rhubarb Crumble Recipe
(Makes nine generous servings, recipe can be halved)

• Rhubarb, washed, peeled, and sliced, 1 kg or about 15 medium stalks
• Sugar, 620 gms
• Flour, 320 gms
• Butter, cold, 160 gms
• Cream for serving

Fresh rhubarb needs to be peeled of its fibrous outer layer (See addendum below).

When preparing food, I keep a container close by to collect vegetable matter for composting.

Pretty rhubarb ribbons

Put rhubarb in an oven dish and mix with 300 grams of sugar and place in an oven preheated to 400 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes until rhubarb is completely tender.

Remove approximately 1/3rd cup of rhubarb liquid otherwise the topping does not stand a chance of retaining its integrity and will just dissolve during baking.  The remaining rhubarb should appear slushy and not drowning in liquid.

Meanwhile, make the topping.  Mix the flour and rest of sugar in a large bowl.  Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the bowl. Mix in food processor or by hand, until resembling coarse sand.  It takes around thirty to sixty seconds with a processor and about five to seven minutes by hand.

Mixed by hand

Spread topping on rhubarb filling in all edges.

Note the golden pink hue of the extra rhubarb juice on the left.

Bake till topping is crusty and golden, about 30 minutes.

Serve with cream or with whipped cream

This gooey, fragrant, carmelized, and succulent crumble can be served warm or cold.  Chez nous, after our eating the first servings, the Calm One is under direct orders--no one can expect me to do this task since I am the resident hedonist, oh excuse me, gourmet--to portion out and freeze the rest so they can not be so accessible for non-stop gorging.  In other words, calorie input can be regulated through the wonders of freezing.  With few exceptions, most food can be frozen with little change in its goodness.  Freezing is my prepared method of food preservation.

Bon appétit!

Michelle's Astuce:

Though I just drink the extra rhubarb juice as a fortitude-boosting elixir enabling my continuing in my baking endeavour, it is conceivable that a lovely coulis could be made and then served with the crumble.  In that case, just strain the syrup of the little bits of rhubarb and add cream or the coulis can be dribbled over whipped cream.

ADDENDUM:

Apparently there is a great peel-or-not-peel rhubarb debate raging on the web! Sarah had commented at this post that she is one of the non-peelers.  For my next crumble, I forwent peeling and the Calm One preferred it to the previous with peeled stalks.  He found it way more rhubarby.  Also it was less juicy, with way more body,  therefore, I did not need to take out some liquid to prevent the topping from dissolving.  Perhaps for very big and old rhubarb stalks, peeling may be necessary.  In any case, feel free to experiment for yourself.

What's a Good Garden Day?

If the main task at hand is to sow directly into the soil, then a good garden day would be one without any wind.  If you are sensitive to cold or heat, then a mild day is a good garden day.  If you want to be at peace in the garden, and you have a truck depot behind your garden like I do, then each and every weekend when the depot is closed are good garden days.

If your hose sprung a surprise leak on a summer Sunday when most shops are closed in France, then a rainy Sunday is a good garden day. If your straw hat gets blown off repeatedly on a windy, blistering hot day, a good garden day is when you find a ribbon at the back of some drawer so you can tie the hat onto your head and prevent yourself dying from heatstroke.

The Usual Suspects

A good garden day is when the meutrier (killer) shed still has not collapsed on you as you flirt with possible disaster by entering it to fetch something.  An equally good garden day is when the dilapidated top of the cold frame decided to come crashing down while you were peacefully having your lunch.

A good garden day is when you just get stung by two wasps instead of a whole swarm, so it is still possible for you to limp back into the house while rubbing your rump as you carefully avoid direct eye contact with Monsieur M.  When first starting out on a tight budget two and a half years ago and not able to buy some of the pricier tools, having generous, helpful neighbours made every day a good garden day, especially if they offer to mow your weedy lawn like Monsieur M did. 

Because I could just afford grass shears, I would get down on my knees and go full out artisanale (labour done by hand) on our weed patch, oops, lawn.  After weeks of watching this nonsense and listening to hours of over-the-fence discussions with Madame M regarding better manual tools than mere shears--a scythe was considered--and probably at the same time envisioning lopped-off toes, Monsieur M said rather abruptly but with a gentle firmness, I will mow your lawn.  Since I nodded my head so vigorously in agreement, it remaining attached to my shoulders and not rolling down the garden path made a good day even better.

My previous mower

A good garden day is while you are frantically thinking how you will ever buy enough ground covers to combat the thistles, nettles, dandelions, bindweed, and dock engulfing the garden, you spy a smiling Madame M dangling a huge shopping bag filled with cuttings of Dianthus, one of your most beloved, evergreen, low-growing, flowering plants, given to her by a friend who lives dans la campagne--the very same country friend who in autumn deluges us with grapes, chestnuts, and walnuts.  It is not just any beloved Dianthus, but the fabled Mrs. Sinkins of the astounding fragrance.

Mrs. Sinkins reving up for a fantastically fragrant flower display

In other words, just having a garden along with a flexible, receptive attitude makes each day a good one.  Bien sûr, good neighbours also help, not to mention Dayo.

Burnished gold on burnished gold:  Dayo guarding oak leaves in a large leaf bag

The Stalwart Leek

The roses are close to blooming.  Though roses themselves are gorgeous, the leaves are attractive in their own right.

One of the seven Queen Elizabeth hedge roses taking a shower

Handsome, versatile leeks function both as an food crop and structural plants.  Sow seeds by May and they will provide visual/culinary interest starting in early autumn all the way through to next spring.  They can be popped into the bays between shrubs in a sunny location as long as the area is pesticide/herbicide free. They will stay in the ground looking smart and perky until you are ready for them so no real need for successive planting.

Leeks are biennials.  The second year, that is, their second spring, they go to seed. Edible plants often go bitter when they go to seed, so I make sure I harvest what I want as food before that happens, leaving a couple of plants for seed collection.  Or if you have the space just let nature eventually do it for you and then transplant the volunteers into better locations.

Note the lovely self-sown youngster.

Select the sturdiest and most robust leeks to be your seed bearers.  The seed head itself looks like a gnome's pointy hat.  Leeks are such a class act as they look as dapper as ever while sporting their steely-blue, violet, or white globular flower heads.

Leek seeds being tiny and black makes it difficult to regulate their spacing.  In addition, leeks are best transplanted so their lower fleshy parts are fully buried ensuring that they will be white and sweetly succulent.

Transplanting allows for the better placed leek on the right which is buried right up to bottom leaves

Leeks certainly can be mounded if grown in place.  However, both problems are solved more easily if they are sown first in flats.  Or a few seeds can be sown in small pots, obviating the need to transplant later to larger pots.  Leeks do not need heat to germinate so the flats/pots can go out on the terrace/patio/balcony. In either case choose the sturdiest seedlings to remain, clipping the others off at soil level with scissors.   Another approach is to sow directly into a nursery bed, with later transplanting to where they will mature and be harvested. When transplant size, they are as thick as a pencil and should be placed about five inches apart.

As leeks and potatoes are such a perfect pairing one does not have to stop with leek and potato soup.  This agreeable coupling works well when making twice-baked potatoes.  Eight halves make for a very nice packed lunch for two if one has access to a microwave.  Some people do without re-heating, not that I would know about that!  Or two halves can accompany a larger meal providing a total of four servings.

TWICE-BAKED POTATOES WITH LEEK STUFFING
(Makes eight halves)

• Four medium-large baking or all-purpose potatoes 
• Leeks, thoroughly washed and sliced, two cups 
• Parmesan cheese, grated, 1/2 cup
• Cream, 1/3 cup 
• Garlic, one large clove crushed
• Red pepper flakes
• Butter, salt, freshly ground black pepper as needed

Having a block of aged Parmesan is nice to have handy

Scrub potatoes well.  Arrange on a rack in a 450 degrees F oven and bake till tender when tested with a knife's point--when done, the knife will feel like it is sliding of its own accord into the centre--about 45 to 60 minutes depending on the potatoes' size.

While the potatoes are baking, cook the prepared leeks and crushed garlic with a tablespoon each of butter and water--sauté for a few minutes first in butter, then add the water--in a covered skillet till tender for about 15 minutes.  Cut the baked potatoes into halves and scoop out the insides into a mixing bowl, leaving enough potato to make 1/8 inch thick walls.  This is a rather important detail for the finished dish--if the walls are too thin, the shells will not do their job holding the filling neatly in place, if too thick, you miss out on the delectable filling that could have been there.

Score first around the edge and then hollow out, neither too thickly or thinly

Rice or mash the potatoes in a large mixing bowl.  Reserving a couple of tablespoons of leeks for garnishing, put the rest in a small bowl and purée with an immersion blender with just enough cream to get a smooth texture. Then add the puréed leeks, Parmesan, and the rest of the cream along with the desired amount of salt and freshly ground pepper to the potatoes.  Beat well with a large wooden spoon or whisk till a luscious consistency.  Stuff the potato  halves.

This nifty masher is really a ricer

Note the leeks smoothly blended with just enough cream and the leeks  reserved for garnishing

Any time food preparation requires mixing/beating, I use it as an excuse to make percussion music

The filling can be piped into the shells or a scored pattern  following the contours of the potatoes can be made using a fork.  Bits of butter placed on top will increase browning.  Bake 400 degrees F for about a half an hour or until the top is crusty and golden brown. Garnish with red pepper flakes and the reserved leeks which may need to be reheated to make them glisten attractively.

Bon appétit!

Michelle's Astuce

If a more puffy, pillow-like look is preferred, mound the shells as fully as necessary, using the extra ones as the basis for making potato skins.  There will be about four halves constituting heftier portions, so keep that in mind when menu planning.

RELATED LINKS

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One Potato, Two Potatoes, Three Potatoes!

Spring so far has been unusually cool and rainy for southwest France.  I am not complaining.  Much time is saved because I don't need to water, the soil is a pleasure to work, and everything looks and smells so freshly green.

Main part of the potager viewed from a second-story window

The pansies may actually last for another month or so before getting done in by heat.

Some of the pansies started from seed last autumn enjoying a cool breeze

Les Fruitiers are just starting the next stage of their cyclic growth.  Their tiny but perfectly formed fruits never cease to delight.  Despite their minuscule size, details like individual grapes, fuzz on peaches, and the distinctive silhouette of figs can be seen clearly.

Grape vines provide both fruit and veggies as I use the leaves to make dolmades

Our fig tree has two crops, one in spring and a larger one in autumn

Garden-grown potatoes (pommes de terre in French=apples of the earth) are stupendous, out-of-this-world tasty, so different from store bought that with my first taste last season, I decided it was a new vegetable, one that the rest of the world greedily had succeeded in hiding from me!

Certified seed potatoes are the surest way of not starting with already diseased potatoes.  Note well that seed potatoes are chemically treated and therefore are not edible.  The seed potato itself eventually shrivels into a dark, hard mass making it easy to discard when harvesting.

Sprouting or chitting increases the number of planted potatoes that will grow into plants, while making that growth quicker.  It takes about six weeks to chit potatoes so keep that in mind when ordering them.  If there is no time to properly sprout them, they can still be planted as most of them will grow.  Place them with the sprouts facing up in a warm, sunny place.  The appearance of the desired, dark-coloured sprouts is triggered by sunlight.  Remove any long, white, brittle sprouts which may have grown because of lack of light.  Sometimes the skin harmlessly wrinkles during sprouting because of dehydration.  They are still fine to plant.

Desiree, a red-skinned, late-season variety happily sprouting on a sunny window sill

When sprouts are about an inch to two inches long, the potatoes can be planted outdoors.  If seed potatoes are large enough, they can be cut into chunks containing one or two sprouts.  Let the cut surface dry for a day.

Planted potatoes can take a light frost, and if necessary horticultural fleece can be used to protect them.  In my climate, I plant early ones by mid March, mid-season varieties by end of March, and the late-season main crop by mid April.  This schedule enables successive harvesting for both fresh eating and storage.  Also choose varieties that lend themselves to the kind of recipes you do--firmer ones for steaming and salads, drier or mealy ones for baking, and an in-between texture for all-purpose.

Loosen and aerate the soil deeply with a spade and fork in some compost if you have it.  Then make an six-inch-deep and a spade-wide trench.  Sprinkle the recommended amount of bonemeal at the bottom.  Bonemeal supplies a big hit of phosphorus (the second number in an NPK formula) which promotes root development.  It is considered suitable for organic gardens.  As cats go nuts over bonemeal be careful you do not bury a small, beloved pet along with the seed potatoes.

When bonemeal is cruelly denied to Dayo, he settles for a nice snack of apple blossoms

Cover the bonemeal with an inch of soil, then place seed potatoes about fifteen inches apart with sprouts pointing upwards.  For chunks, put the cut end on the soil.  Three potato plants fit crosswise in my block beds.

This variety is mid-season Mona Lisa

Using a rake, pull the soil piled on the side down over the potatoes, filling in the trench.  A small plank can be used to firm the planting.  Place it where needed and gently step on it.

About two weeks later:  lusty, emerging potato plant

When my motivation ebbs during digging trenches, I take a break under the pergola and think of herb and sour-cream onion/potato/saucisse de Strasbourg soup or potatoes au gratin or the Calm One's speciality, kitchen-sink potato salad containing herring, apples, cornichons, hard-boiled eggs, salami, tons of mayo, and oh yes, some potatoes, cleverly cut into perfect, itsy-bitsy cubes via an egg slicer.  I then hobble from the comfort of my seat and manage a few more goes with my spade.

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Some Like It Hot

Spring here in southwest France is continuing at a brisk pace.   The fresh green of young leaves along with the calming blues and mauves of lilacs, bluebells, irises, and sweet violets  contrast with the snappier yellows of pansies and the whites of tulips.

Lovely, oh so fragrant lilacs

White Tulipa Fosteriana, a species tulip, drenched in rain

However, I have to guard against any surprise, overnight cold snap.  For a few nights, the flowering strawberry beds needed a cosy fleece cover to guard against frost.

Dayo can't tell the difference between a strawberry bed and his bed

Though gardening can be very relaxing, it is also demanding, offering windows of opportunities that are often short.  The onions planted in mid February are now about five inches tall and need to be fertilised so a good harvest in July is ensured.  

Though onions are bulbs, rather than using a fertiliser high in phosphorus which promotes root development, it is thought better to use either a high nitrogen or a balanced one.  In order for each layer of an onion to be formed there needs to be a corresponding leaf--those tasty, blade-like things are leaves!  Nitrogen boosts green growth and therefore in this case green growth boosts bulb development.  Nice, fat onions please!  Yum.  I gently hold back the rather brittle leaves with the back of my hand as I go down rows, scratching the fertiliser into the soil with the side of the cultivator so as not to break off any of the leaves.

A side dressing of 10-10-10 fertiliser is gently worked into the soil

Meanwhile, heat-loving veggies/herbs like tomatoes, bell peppers, basil, melons, courgettes, and cucumbers need to be started indoors about six weeks before the last frost day which is about mid-May here.

A special soil-less mix for sowing is best.  As it is very fluffy, light, and airy which is perfect for delicate roots, it is necessary to add water and get it very moist before putting it into flats in order to fill the containers adequately.

Moistened commercial sowing mix, transplants, recycled food containers

Fill up clean flats almost to the top with the well moistened mix and press down lightly.  Seeds sparingly spaced will cut down on later thinning. Larger ones like melon/squash seeds can be individually spaced and smaller ones can be placed using a moistened toothpick.  Label rows of different varieties as you sow.  Cover lightly with a bit of dry mix and then press down again, this time more firmly, to let the moisture seep up into the dry mix.  This method prevents seeds from moving about which would disturb spacing and confuse identification. 

The flats now have to be kept warm.  I use an enclosed electric incubator but the flats can be kept on a heating pad also as long as a makeshift tent of plastic is kept over the containers and the flat is fitted with a drainage tray.  

Incubator has a vent as to prevent mould formation if it gets too moist inside

As soon as green growth is spotted, get them out of the incubator and onto a sunny windowsill or under artificial lights.  Days here are usually warm enough for me to take them outside as long as I remember to bring them back indoors in the evenings.  A gentle wind also strengthens their stems.  Some people blow on their tomato seedlings or use a fan indoors to toughen them up!  Any delay in getting light to them will stress them, and when stressed, plants tend to race forward in an desperate attempt to go to seed so as to pass the next generation on.  Instead of developing into sturdy, bushy plants, they will become leggy and fragile.

When you spot the first set of leaves, it is time to snip off some seedlings at the level of the mix with scissors to establish good spacing.  This way, none of the remaining seedlings' roots will be disturbed as they would be if you pulled out the rejects.  Choose the most vigorous ones.  A good spacing is when there is enough room between plants to be able to separate them when transplanting into separate little pots without injuring their roots.  Each seedling should  have a nicely defined though small root ball, a root ball of their own so to speak.

Four varieties of duly marked tomato seedlings in their recycled food tray.

Once the plants have a second pair of leaves, that is, true leaves--second pair of leaves resemble the leaves of the mature plant, unlike the first pair--and are about two to three inches tall, transplant them. A re-potting mix which has been lightly moistened will encourage good growth.  I use an old teaspoon as a mini-trowel and a small knife to get them out of the flats into separate small pots.

Rows of sturdy seedlings are cut like slices of brownies with a small knife

Make a small hole in prepared pot and place root ball into hole

 When handling delicate seedlings, pick them up via a leaf and not by their stems.  If the stem breaks, that's it, it dies.  If just one leaf comes off, you still have a living plant.  Put tomato seedlings deeper into the pot then they were in the flat. Tomato stems can sprout roots, hence your transplants will be supported by a robust root ball when setting out into the garden.  Carefully firm the mix around the plant.  Label and water them until the water runs out the bottom, and then re-water when the surface goes almost dry.  Keep them under good light, whether artificial or natural. 

Roma tomato seedling safely set in its new home

Think you are done?   I am afraid not!  Go ahead and get ready the outside area for your seedlings as it is best to let prepared soil to settle for a few weeks before the actual transplanting is done.  If you find your motivation flagging a bit, think of all those red, ripe, juicy tomatoes you will eventually gobble up. 

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Hills of Strawberries

Here in southwest France, spring is going at a breakneck speed.  In fact, it is rapidly morphing into early summer as our summertime lasts about six months.

Rhubarb waking up

Bearded Irises going at full throttle

The strawberry plants are beginning to flower which means I will need to fertilise the two beds.

Two-year-old plant forming tiny yellow berries in the flower's centre

However, I have some transplants to do first.  Placing the crown just at the right level is important because if planted too high, roots will dry out, if too low, the crown will rot.  Hilling accomplishes the correct placement very nicely.  Start by loosening the soil with a spade or a fork to a depth of five to six inches depending on the length of the roots.  Very long roots can be trimmed.

Using a trowel, dig a circular trench, depositing most of the soil outside the trench and some on the centre mound which needs to be an inch or two above level ground.  Firm the mound lightly.

Voilà!  A little moat.

Spread gently the roots over the mound, tucking any extra length around the trench.

Crown is the light-green, fleshy, triangular part just above the roots' top

Fill in the circular trench with soil, firming the planting by cupping your hands around the crown while pressing down.  Plant should not wobble, that is, the crown should be securely supported by soil while not being completely buried.  The carrot seed packet shows the slant of the hill, otherwise not very visible in the below photo.  To accommodate hilling in my block beds, I space the strawberries farther apart (about 15 inches) than the usual denser planting.

On to fertilising which consists of sprinkling the recommended amount around each plant about a few inches away from the crown, and then lightly scraping the granules into the soil, being careful that the shallow roots will not be disturbed.  Water well.

Using the cultivator's side instead of the prongs avoids damaging roots

Though a basic 10-10-10 will suffice, one with an NPK number where phosphorus and potassium (second and third numbers) are higher than the first number (nitrogen) would be better as phosphorus and potassium are needed for root and fruit development.  The first application is done as soon as the flowers appear and the second one is after harvest.  As soon as the season's first mowing of grass clippings dry, I will mulch the strawberry beds to keep the berries off the soil and to conserve moisture.

This natural 5-6-8 fertiliser can be used also for raspberries and currants

Strawberry plants are productive for about three years.  However, there will be no berries the first year if you follow the recommendation by the experts and pinch all flowers off to promote strong root development, and even if you don't pinch them off, there will be just a light harvest.  It is the second year where the biggest production occurs.  Third year is heavier than the first, but not as generous as the second.

Second-year strawberry bed followed by a first-year planting

There are efforts to produce an annual strawberry which would simplify their care.  But until then, if you want a satisfying crop of berries (they are the Calm One's favourite fruit), you need to plan each spring for there to be plants entering their second year.  Happily, once you buy your initial plants--usually shipped as bare roots and planted either in the fall or early spring--they will produce enough runners which can be used for propagation.  Some gardeners sell their extra baby plants for a bit of pocket money.

Strawberries, along with tomatoes, are one of the commercial crops containing the highest level of pesticides because of their susceptibility to disease. In home gardens, however, meticulous rotation works wonders in keeping them mostly disease and pesticide free.  Also, the taste of home-grown strawberries and tomatoes are incomparable as so many delicious varieties are available which can not be found in markets.