Thursday, April 01, 2021

Into April, Rhubarb and Violas

April is here.  What does it hold?  More lockdown restrictions removed at some point, I think the 12th.  Second Covid vaccinations on the 28th which is also our wedding anniversary.  Well at least we'll be going out somewhere๐Ÿ˜Š
  


 The first sticks of garden rhubarb are ready for picking and eating. 


Normally I would make a crumble but I decided to try something different this time.

The rhubarb was stewed in a pan with a little water then left to cool.  I mixed up the layered yoghurt and then layered it again in a glass with the cooked rhubarb.  It was a light and delicious pudding after our evening meal.

I couldn't resist the two little pots of Violas for just £1 each.


I loved the colour and their little 'faces' just appealed to me and said take us home.  So I  did.
 
A friend sent me a story he had written which made me smile. I sent him one back in which I ressurected a character I'd used in a previous story and set her in an orchard at blossom time.  The past two or three days have been lovely and warm.  Gardening has been done and the pond has been cleaned.  Some of the huge water lily that had taken over and spread into many plants was pulled out.  It needs a lake not a pond.  The newts, pond snails and insects were happy.  On Monday and Tuesday we were visited by a bright yellow Brimstone butterfly, it flitted and flapped around the garden, never settling.  Good to see it though.
 

24 comments:

  1. What a way to celebrate your Anniversary! Congratulations. I like the sound of your rhubarb dessert, a great combination of flavours with a zing. I prefer yogurt to cream these days, except on scones of course! ๐Ÿ˜Š

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. We rarely have cream nowadays either much prefer yoghurt. I'd make an exception for a scone with clotted cream if it were by the coast in Cornwall or Devon, I know they put the jam and cream on the scone in different ways but I can never remember which is which:)

      Delete
  2. Well that's certainly a different anniversary 'celebration'! The Violas are lovely and the dessert looks delicious, i'm the only one in my house that likes Rhubarb!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wouldn't have chosen that date but it came up on the booking form so may as well go with it and get it done. I love rhubarb especially the early varieties:)

      Delete
  3. Happy coming Anniversary!!!!

    Happy Easter!

    ๐ŸŒท๐ŸŒบ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŽ€๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒบ๐ŸŒท

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, hope you have a Happy Easter too:)

      Delete
  4. Lovely little pansies & my rhubarb needs dividing & replanting as it is too much shade these days with the growth on some trees in the corner. Funny talking about wedding anniversaries, as ours is today 2nd April. Not sure we'll be doing anything as it is Good Friday, everything closed & too many people will be out and about with "very" summery temperatures & good weather predicted for this Easter weekend. We have our second jabs mid June. Happy Easter. Take care, stay safe & hugs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you had a happy anniversary yesterday even if you couldn't go out and about. Hope your good weather stays over the weekend, it is set to go cold again here on Monday. It's two steps forward and one back at the moment. Have a Happy Easter, take care:)

      Delete
  5. Rhubarb really is a food of the Gods and your raised bed close to, if not, holy ground. A place to come and worship. You are a high priestess when it comes to preparing things to eat and here’s me still thinking about last week’s Simnel Cake and a jar of ground almonds I see in our tall cupboard every time I open the door. I think I will make some biscuits tomorrow! Now I’m off to bed determined to dream of rhubarb syllabus, made with yoghurt of course. Take care. Love Robert xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Two weeks ago the rhubarb was small and looked as if it was struggling, how things change so quickly in the garden. I did manage to make a Simnel cake on Thursday and then did the ironing whilst I was watching for it in the oven. I hope the biscuits were tasty. I wonder if you dreamt of swimming in syllabub?:)

      Delete
  6. Well done on the Brimstone. Rarely seen here in Jersey. Your rhubarb is way ahead of ours. The first leaves are only just unfolding. Love the violas, one of my favourite flowers. Have a good Easter weekend. B x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Brimstone flitted around the garden but didn't settle. Our rhubarb always seem to be earlier than others perhaps it is the variety. The violas were so pretty I couldn't leave them. Hope you have a good Easter weekend:)

      Delete
  7. I do wish we still had rhubarb in the garden - your pudding looks delicious. We have our second vaccination - the day after your (our daughter's birthday!!!). The violas are so appealing - no wonder you couldn't resist. Well done on the Brimstone - still haven't see one! although there were two unidentified butterflies in the garden last week - perhaps Peacock and Orange Tip. Have a lovely Easter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's good to have some early fruit in the garden, next picking I'll make a crumble. It looks like we'll be vacinated almost at the same time, 29th was my mum's birthday, I haven't visited her grave for a couple of years now which I usually try to do between mother's day and her birthday. The Brimstone flew quite close to the conservatory window so we could see it clearly, we've had plenty of Small Tortoiseshells and a couple of Peacocks, I haven't seen an Orange Tip yet. Hope you too have a lovely Easter:)

      Delete
  8. It's good to see the butterflies and bees becoming more active as the weather gets warmer although we are now back to colder conditions again. It was good to do some gardening recently. Fresh rhubarb is a welcome plant although we lost ours when Mr P constructed the new greenhouse. A rhubarb crumble or with some yoghurt is delicious. Best wishes for a happy Easter weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is lovely to see bees and butterflies again we have lots of heather which they love and is doing well this year. It's good to try different things with the rhubarb but crumble is always a favourite. Hope you and Mr P have a lovely, peaceful Easter:)

      Delete
  9. You've made me realise that I've not had rhubarb since I used to look after my mother's garden for her - something which I must put right in the next week or two! I still have lots of pansies that have survived the winter - will I be ruthless enough to throw them out?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We have some pansies that have survived the winter too, they still look okay at the moment. Rhubarb always reminds me of childhood gardens, we used to have a stick with a little bit of sugar in a cup and sit on the back step and eat it:)

      Delete
  10. Haha, rhubard sounds so foreign to me. I don't think i have ever seen them here in the supermarkets. Your pudding looks delicious. Imagine going together for Covid-19 vaccination on your wedding anniversary - what a story to tell. Something which others cannot boast of!! Stay safe then.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I always think of rhubarb as a very British thing grown in everyones gardens, there is a rhubarb triangle in the county of Yorkshire here in the UK and a good supply in the suppermarket. Perhaps if things are easier and we can go out and about a bit more we will visit somewhere nice after the jabs:)

      Delete
  11. Our rhubarb is a little behind yours I think, we usually have a crumble with it but that looks like a better idea...and less need for custard! Hope you had a lovely Easter xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I always think that where you live is almost the centre of rhubarb growing although apparently Clumber Park (my old childhood playground)in Notts have a national collection of varieties. Yes mixing it with yoghurt makes it less heavy as a pudding. Hope you too had a good Easter:)

      Delete