Rhubarb Muffins

rhubarb patch

Rhubarb is the first produce we see out of our garden every year. Maybe that’s why I look forward to it so much and love almost everything baked with rhubarb. This is a muffin recipe my kids just love and they are happy to take one in their lunch every day for the couple weeks I… Read more »

Rich and Tangy Rhubarb Sauce

Do you like your’s hot or cold? Sweet or tart? Whatever the choice, there is nothing better than fresh made rhubarb sauce. Here is our recipe, made with brown sugar in place of some of the white sugar for a slightly richer flavour. Ingredients 8 -10 cups chopped rhubarb (1 inch in size, more or… Read more »

Rhubarb Crème Brûlée is Oh So Easy

Given what they charge for crème brûlée in restaurants I always thought it was hard to make. Then I discovered this recipe for rhubarb crème brûlée in a Foodland Ontario flyer provided by one of our local farm stands and was so surprised at how easy it was. It turned out so well, we made it twice in… Read more »

Not The Best House Guests

The lusher our garden becomes, the more wildlife we see. Birds, rabbits, deer, chipmunks, squirrels, even garter snakes are now common place in our yard. Isn’t that great you say? Well perhaps, but couldn’t they be better house guests? I mean if the deer love my red begonias so much they want a closer look,… Read more »

The Promise Of Summer

Red Charm Peony

I know it’s still officially spring and that peonies, irises & weigela are technically spring blooming plants, but I always think of June as the promise of summer to come. The blooms are bigger, brighter and more intense than the early spring blossoms.  I’m enjoying finishing up my summer planters, adding even more colour to… Read more »

Why Can’t I Grow Cauliflower?

I’ve got a pretty good green thumb when it comes to outdoor plants and the vegetable garden. On top of that I love to experiment. We’ve grown our own sweet potatoes, celery, kidney beans, black beans and even pak choi one year. But for the life of me I can’t grow cauliflower. OK, I’ve only… Read more »

Late But Perfect

Doublefile viburnum

Spring may have arrived late this year but it has been almost picture perfect. For the past several years, unseasonably warm weather in April and early May meant that most plants began to leaf out and put on blooms early, only to be damaged by late spring frost. Almost every year I lose something, either… Read more »

Frost Ready – Again

Frost covers tomatoes & peppers

I don’t care what the calendar says or what the weather was like yesterday, you can always count on a good chance of frost in southern Ontario even into the end of May. Having said that, I always jump the gun and put my tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and basil in during an early hot spell,… Read more »

Back With A Fresh Start, And A New Fence

I’ve been away from garden blogging for a while. Having returned to work this past winter my energies were focused elsewhere and that meant taking a break from gardening and garden blogging. Perhaps that’s healthy. I’m now ready to start a new spring with a different viewpoint. My goals are different — it’s more about… Read more »

Back To School Breakfast Banana Muffins

Breakfast Banana Muffins with seeds and coconut

With back to school time approaching, I was looking for ways to create new, fast, but healthy on the go breakfasts and snacks that my boys could eat on the drive to and from school. Their new school is a nut free school, so I needed to come up with a way to make a… Read more »