Sunday Bits #23 (Rhubarb, white asparagus, Non-gmo, and Easter)

Spring is most definitely here. Yesterday, I was out raking the leaves off the lawn, into my garden beds, today I am sweeping wet snow off the stairs. Tomorrow, they say, we'll be back to raking again.

I can hardly wait to see the little crocuses, grape hyacinths, and other wee bulbs that I planted last fall poke up through the soil. We moved here in mid-summer so have not yet seen a spring here, do not know if the former owners had planted much for bulbs. That is why I stuck to the small bulbs that naturalise, figured if there were any bulbs planted, it is most likely to be tulips....maybe, hah. It will be interesting to find out. I'll take pictures of it all so that I know where to plant more bulbs come fall (as mentioned in this Bits post a few weeks ago).

Here is an article with an explanation of the differences between heirloom, hybrid, open pollinated and gmo seeds. We have talked about this many a time at my wee greenhouse, on my page, at my workshops, but just in case you have never been to my wonderful place or one of my awesome workshops (insert cheeky grin here), the article will explain the differences.

In short.. when seed packages say NON-GMO, it is a sales gimmick. We are not rich enough to buy genetically modified seeds and they are also not interested in selling to us regular poor wee folk.

It is a common misconception that hybrids are the same as genetically modified seeds, but not to worry! People have been crossing seeds forever, no labs are involved. If you have ever grown Early Girl tomatoes, they are hybrids. Just two tomato varieties that were crossed to bring out the traits they wanted... early maturing, high yielding, round, red, firm tomatoes. Ps, if you love Early Girls but are looking for a deeper, richer, tomato flavour, grow them fairly dry! They are very drought tolerant so heat and less water will build that depth of flavour.

Have you ever tried forcing rhubarb? I actually went looking for this article as I am going to do it this spring. I had heard of it before, knew it would be harvestable earlier, but wanted to know what the difference in taste would be. It turns out that it is a great way to grow taller, sweeter stalks without that tang, perfect for early pies and baking. As soon as I see that puppy started to push itself out of the ground, I am going to cover it with either a cardboard box or a garbage can!

Forcing Purple Passion asparagus gives you pale pink spears! .

I have forced asparagus before, many times. 'White asparagus' is a delicacy in Germany and hubby loves it. To grow these sweet, tender, white spears, you do not need to buy any special variety, they all work!

Put something over top of the crown(s) that allows no light to get in. I used a cardboard box, popped it on top of the crown before the spears starting emerging from the ground - ta dah, white asparagus. Okay, in my case it was pale, pale pink because I forced Purple Passion rather than the green ones. I had green and purple growing together in my patch.

KEYS to forcing -

1) Cover just before/just before they are starting to emerge from the ground, and

2) Use something that allows no light! If there is even the littlest hole, they will not be white. This applies to the rhubarb, as well. Use a dark tote bin, a box, a pot with no drainage hole, whatever you have on hand.

3) When you have harvested a couple of meals, pull the box off and allow them to grow normally again. Forcing does not hurt the plant as long as you leave a couple of spears to grow into fronds, as per usual.

This idea from marthastewart.com

25 different diy garden markers for your garden. This simple mason jar with the seed packet is my favourite, but love the other ideas, too. They are all easy to make and do not require any special materials.

Decorating... and stuff.

Do you all follow Smitten Kitchen? She has the loveliest recipes! As most of you know, I do not like cooking (though I love baking). Hubby is a chef so he cooks the majority of meals when he is home, I cook very basic foods when he is away (he works out of town). The meals I make need to be fast and easy, not a lot of ingredients and not a lot of prep... So why then do I like and follow cooking bloggers? Honestly, no idea. I just love to look at the pictures, pin some of the recipes, but probably will never make 80% of them.

This is a good article though, about how to stock a pantry. As you know, we will shortly be moving back into the kitchen now that the renovation is (almost) done, so I will be filling shelves and restocking the pantry. I love the look of those super organized pantries full of matching pretty containers but really, I am much too cheap to buy them! The amount of containers one would need! I like this pantry by Smitten as it is realistic and yet still pretty, plus I love the look of canning jars. Check out the article with her suggestions of what items you may want to stock your pantry with.

I must be on a granny-chic decorating phase, or maybe I have always been in love with it a little bit, as I am loving floral wallpaper (thank you UK bloggers, lol) and floral tablecloths!

This gorgeous laundry room! and this one, too!

I have some apples branches that I am forcing for some greens and blooms at Easter.

Wow, looks like Miss Mustard Seed and I have a lot in common. She is still in kitchen planning stage though, so I did it first, hah. The picture above is from my kitchen, not quite ready for the big reveal yet though.

I am trying to force some apple branches for the Easter table but think I started a bit too late. It is super easy to do, just 'prune' any of your early spring blooming trees or shrubs, pop them in a vase, change water every few days, and soon you will have lovely blossoms indoors. Wondering what branches to use?

These photos of rooms in beautiful homes, well, wow! They are all gorgeous. Love the kitchens! You all know I am all about the kitchens right now ;)

This sink! Oh! My! Would love something like this in my someday to be she-shed/greenhouse.

Easter

These super cute old paint cans for Easter Decor, and these decoupaged bottles.

The free printables and how to use them at the Easter table.

These decor items and more free printables, too!

Art work on wood? Here's how to make it if you are even the slightest bit techie. This picture of us at my daughter's wedding is one of my all time favourites. It is simple and imperfect with the line running through it, but I love simple, anything wooden, it fits in my home, and of course, love it for the memories it evokes of that wonderful day.

Love free printables - find these HERE.

Happy Crafting, or Reading, or Snoozing... Whatever you like!

Happy Sunday, My Friends ~ Tanja