This past weekend, we had the privilege of being one of the stops on our 4-H club’s summer tour. These opportunities are another example of 4-H’s slogan “Learn by Doing” in action.

It was a hot, windy day. Yet, it was still fun to watch Keith lead the 4-Hers around our place and share about what we do, why we do it, and how it works as a 4-H project.

Even when I was a Shetek Royal Harvester 4-Her, these summer tours were a favorite. It is fun to learn from each other, share ideas, and then take what you learn and see how those ideas can be applied to our own lives.

Keith shared about vegetable, potatoes and pumpkin gardens (vegetable project); broiler chickens and laying hens (poultry project); welding project (shop project) and the pigs (swine project). Throughout the tour, the 4-Hers and the parents asked questions. It was nothing short of a joy to watch Keith share his knowledge with others while growing his leadership skills.

Many will say they don’t have time for 4-H. We can’t possibly squeeze one more thing in. Trust me, we know. We have these conversations at our house. Yet, thankfully our entire family knows that when we show up for 4-H activities, like this one, we all come away fulfilled and rejuvenated.

Why be part of 4-H when you have a full plate?

1. Sharing 4-H projects with others, both youth and adults, help youth to feel valued.
2. 4-Hers find meaning and purpose in their life by developing skills that last a lifetime.
3. Making connections outside of normal circles helps with personal growth.

I encourage you to learn more about 4-H projects here and join 4-H to Learn by Doing.

Garden Science

Boxes of Produce

This list is prepared before we harvest your share. Some guesswork is involved! We do our best to predict which crops will be ready to harvest, but sometimes crops are on the list that are not in the share, and sometimes crops will be in the share even though they’re not on the list. Remember food safety in your kitchen when preparing, always wash your hands before working with your produce and always wash your produce before eating.

Rhubarb – One-pound equals about 3 cups. Wash, cut the ends off, cut off any bad parts damaged by wind, chop into 1/4 – 1/2-inch pieces. No need to peel You can freeze it in a Ziploc bag (no blanching) and use for months to come. Our family loves it in muffins, breads, jam, pie, crisp, sauce and torte. Check out this week’s recipe.

Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce – One of my favorite garden crops. Some of the crops are ran under cold well water to take the field heat off of them so they last longer in your refrigerators. They are not washed – just cooled. So remember to wash your vegetables before eating. See how lettuce is grown throughout the year so it is available in our grocery stores even on our cold Minnesota days.

Red Oak Leaf Lettuce – I love this beautiful red lettuce leaf. It adds such a wonderful color to your salads.

Spinach – Remember to wash before eating. A combination of these vegetables will make such a wonderful meal! Check out some of Martha Stewart’s spinach recipes.

Radishes – Wash, cut off the tops and also the bottoms, slice and enjoy in salads. Some enjoy dipping in salt or a radish sandwich. I also cut them up and use like carrots or green beans in a hot dish.

Herb– chives – wash then chop up chives into small pieces or freeze them to use later.

Fresh cut arrangement – Hosta leaves, Spirea, asparagus ferns.

Recipe of the Week

Raspberry-Rhubarb Slab Pie

3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

3/4 cup plus 1 to 2 tablespoons 2% milk

1 large egg yolk, room temperature

2 cups sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

5 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed and drained

3 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb, thawed and drained

Icing

1-1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar

5 to 6 teaspoons 2% milk

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Whisk 3/4 cup milk and egg yolk; gradually add to flour mixture, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Add additional milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary.

2. Divide dough in 2 portions so that 1 is slightly larger than the other; cover each and refrigerate 1 hour or until easy to handle.

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3. Preheat oven to 375°. Roll out larger portion of dough between 2 large sheets of lightly floured waxed paper into an 18×13-in. rectangle. Transfer to an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Press onto the bottom and up sides of pan; trim crust to edges of pan.

4. In a large bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add raspberries and rhubarb; toss to coat. Spoon into crust.

5. Roll out remaining dough; place over filling. Fold bottom crust over edge of top crust; seal with a fork. Prick top with a fork.

6. Bake until golden brown, 45-55 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

7. For icing, combine confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and enough milk to achieve a drizzling consistency; drizzle over pie. Cut pie into squares.

Source: Taste of Home

Weeds, weeds, weeds that’s what it’s all about, we don’t love each other, lambsquarters, nightshade, quack grass, pigweed, that’s what it’s all about. It’s about weeds, weeds, weeds. It’ about weeds, weeds, weeds. This is my weed version spin-off of the song “It’s all about Love.”

Yes, weeds are top of mind with the heat, and this time of year. Controlling the weed competition to provide the optimal growing conditions for a plant to be healthy is important for productive plant growth outcomes. I always feel this is the most challenging time for weeds as there is no natural “canopy” from the garden crops formed over the weeds to shade out their growth.

What keeps us motivated to finish the weeding? Well, the radio always helps, along with, good conversation and a few games of “would you rather.” But to be honest, the feeling of looking back on your work and being able to say to yourself, “job well done” and also knowing that the plants will be healthier and more productive throughout the growing season, makes it all worth it.

Boxes of Produce

This list is prepared before we harvest your share. Some guesswork is involved! We do our best to predict which crops will be ready to harvest, but sometimes crops are on the list that are not in the share, and sometimes crops will be in the share even though they’re not on the list. Remember food safety in your kitchen when preparing, always wash your hands before working with your produce and always wash your produce before eating.

Rhubarb – One pound equals about 3 cups. Wash, cut the ends off, cut off any bad parts damaged by wind, and chop into 1/4 – 1/2-inch pieces. No need to peel You can freeze it in a Ziploc bag (no blanching) and use it for months to come. Our family loves it in muffins, bread, jam, pie, crisp, sauce and torte.

Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce – One of my favorite garden crops. Some of the crops are run under cold well water to take the field heat off of them so they last longer in your refrigerators. They are not washed – just cooled. So remember to wash your vegetables before eating. See how lettuce is grown throughout the year so it is available in our grocery stores even on our cold Minnesota days.

Red Oak Leaf Lettuce – I love this beautiful red lettuce leaf. It adds such a wonderful color to your salads.

Spinach with Beet Greens – Remember to wash before eating. A combination of these vegetables will make such a wonderful meal! Check out some of Martha Stewart’s spinach recipes.

Radishes – Wash, cut off the tops and also the bottoms, slice and enjoy in salads. Some enjoy dipping in salt.

Chives – wash then chop up chives into small pieces. I enjoy using them in

Cilantro – Keep this plant all year long. Put it on your window sill and keep cutting it back.

Fresh cut arrangement – Hosta leaves, peonies, irises and asparagus ferns.

Recipe of the Week

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars

Source: Sally’s Baking Addiction

3 cups all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cubed

1 large egg

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup old-fashioned whole rolled oats

Filling

2 and 1/2 cups chopped strawberries

2 and 1/2 cups sliced rhubarb (1/2 inch pieces)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon orange zest

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished bars out (makes cutting easier!). Set aside.

Make the crumble mixture for the crust and topping: Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the cubed butter and using a pastry cutter, two forks, or a food processor, cut in the butter until all the flour is coated and resembles pea-sized crumbles. This takes at least 5 minutes of cutting in with a pastry cutter.

Whisk the egg, milk, and vanilla together in a small bowl. Pour over the flour/butter mixture and gently mix together until the mixture resembles moist crumbly sand. Use your hands if needed– the mixture comes together easier with your hands than with a spoon.

You will have about 6 cups of the crust/crumble mixture. Set 2 cups aside. Pour the remaining into the prepared pan and flatten down with your hands or a flat spatula to form an even crust. It will be a little crumbly– that’s ok. Set aside. (Oats will be used in the topping in the next step.)

Strawberry Rhubarb Filling: Gently mix all of the filling ingredients together. Spread over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture all over the filling. Sprinkle the oats on over top. With the back of a large spoon or flat spatula, lightly press the topping down so it’s a bit snug on the strawberry rhubarb layer.

Bake for about 42-50 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out *mostly* clean (with a few jam strawberry/rhubarb specks!). Remove from the oven and allow the bars to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.

Lift the cooled bars out using the parchment paper overhang on the sides. Cut into squares. Cover and store leftover strawberry rhubarb bars at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Freezes well.

When I was young, adults around me would comment on how quickly time passed. I, on the other hand, thought that the days seemed enormously long, especially the long days out in the field rock picking and bean walking. Now days, it seems that everything can change in a blink of an eye.

In April, our shop burned down due to an undetermined source. While the process of navigating this challenge is time-consuming, we remain eternally grateful for the angels that were present that night providing protection and walking with us as we take one step at a time to rebuild the shop.

Meanwhile, the time I used to think moved slowly has been moving quickly. I feel that I must have blinked and missed May.

Thankfully, we did not lose all of our field and gardening equipment in the fire. Planting did occur at the beginning of May and has continued as the weather cooperated. Crops are peaking out of the ground, and of course, the rhubarb is flourishing.

The first CSA should be right around the corner. Our shareholders should see an email with more information in the foreseeable future, but not this week. I’m sure all of us have plenty on our plate with the end of the school year upon us. Plus, the crops could use just a little bit more time.

Meanwhile, take time to soak in the time spent with your family and friends. In a blink of an eye, it will be but a memory.