Homemade Rhubard and Orange Jam Recipe

I found a great recipe for rhubarb-orange jam, and it is truly delicious. I picked the rhubarb and checked the fridge and found some oranges. The orioles are not as serious about the oranges, so I have a couple of extras.

Greetings fellow gardeners, 

I am listening to the light rain as it waters my thirsty plants. I don’t have to water this morning and do the mosquito dance. Even with all of the birds that I have, the mosquitoes are very active this year. 

There are times when I get discouraged. This goutweed has become the stuff of nightmares. I discovered that while the storm did not topple my little greenhouse, it pushed against one of the sides and toppled a tray of seedlings. There is so much to do, and I can’t do it all and my knees are grumpy. And then… I breathe. I close my eyes and tell myself that I am doing all that I can do, and it is enough. With my eyes closed I can hear the birds chattering and I can smell the lilacs. As I open my eyes, I stop looking at what I haven’t done, and I look at what is there. 

Planting Grandpa Potatoes

My potatoes are up! I planted my grandpa potatoes in a trench and covered them up and there they are. Isn’t that exciting! Potatoes are fun to plant. If you plant them in the ground or in a pot, they will reward you well. If you are planting a pot, fill the pot ¼ full of soil and place the potatoes with the eyes up and then cover them with soil. Eyes are those small bumps or indentations where the potatoes will sprout.  As the leaves of the potatoes appear, cover them with soil until you reach the top of the pot. In the ground I dig a shallow trench, cover the potatoes with soil and as the leaves appear I cover them again with soil. After a while I will have a mound about two or more feet in height and then I will allow the plant to form. As the flowers appear you know that your potatoes are forming. You can feel around gently and find tiny new potatoes or leave them alone to get nice big potatoes.

Lettuce is a Cool Weather Crop

My pots of lettuce and pole beans are up and prospering. I had some of the lettuce in my salad last night. I like the bright chartreuse lettuce as a contrast colour. Soon it will be too hot for the lettuce in this spot, so I will harvest it and put in something else.  Lettuce is a cool weather crop so after mid-June I like to grow it in a shadier spot. 

Rhubard and Orange Jam Recipe

Last night my son asked if there was any more jam. The cupboard is empty. So, I picked the rhubarb and checked the fridge and found some oranges. The orioles are not as serious about the oranges, so I have a couple of extras. I found a great recipe for rhubarb-orange jam, and it is truly delicious. 

Ingredients

• 2 oranges
• 5 cups chopped rhubarb… Chop it in about ½ inch pieces.
• 1 pack of liquid pectin. This recipe uses liquid pectin.
• 6 cups of sugar

Make Jam in Five Easy Steps

• I boiled about 7 of the 250ml mason jars as I prepared the jam.
• Peel the orange zest off of one orange and chop the zest.
• Squeeze the juice from both oranges to make 1 cup of juice. Add water to make a full cup.
• In a large steel saucepan, combine the rhubarb, orange peel, orange juice, and pectin and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, add 6 cups of sugar and boil again. Once it reaches a rolling boil, leave it boiling for 1 minute, then remove it from the heat. 
• Ladle the jam into the jars and seal them. Place the jars back in the canning pot and give them a hot water bath of boiling water for about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

I know that many of you are still dealing with cleanup from the storm and you may find your garden has changed in terms of light and space. Remember to relax and look for the beauty. Judith (Email:  sghorticultural@gmail.com)  Veggie Bites are available at https://sghorticultural.wixsite.com/website or https://gardeningcalendar.ca/articles/veggie-bites/

P.S.

My company, Lapisdragon Arts, will be at the Wellings in Stittsville for a craft show. It will be this Wednesday, June 8 from 10 until 2pm. Come by and say hello. www.lapisdragonarts.com