Column: Verlys Huntley, Notes from the Garden

Yes, it is again that time of year when our local farmers market is opening. Our schedule will be the same as last year, with each Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. and each Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. And thanks to the city of Albert Lea, we will again be back in the municipal parking lot on North Broadway Avenue.

The first markets this year may not have much produce available. Radishes, onions, lettuce and spinach will be coming soon. But there will still be a lot of good things available at the market, such as farm fresh eggs, jams and jellies, honey, maple syrup, salsa and pickles and other canned goods, meats, home baked goodies, bedding plants and potted plants and craft items.

The Albert Lea Farmers Market is looking forward to some really exciting things this year! We are one of the markets selected to receive a wireless scanning machine which will enable us to take EBT/SNAP benefit cards (formerly food stamp program). We will also be able to accept debit and credit cards. Our new market manager, Linda Peterson, will be using the scanner, and issuing either EBT/SNAP tokens or credit/debit card tokens that can be used by our customers to purchase products from any market vendor. This is a fairly simple system which will enable more people to improve their diets by purchasing really healthy, locally grown produce, meats and other things.

The Albert Lea market has also purchased a hand-washing station, available to customers and vendors alike. Our vendors are very conscious of food safety issues, and want to do everything we can to avoid any problems. We strongly encourage everyone to use this to avoid the possibility of contamination from unclean hands.

In addition to the Wednesday meals served at the market by non-profit groups, we will also be having more food demonstrations, canning demonstrations, offering more samples, handing out more recipes and generally providing more education for our customers. We are all beginning to realize more and more how important it is to our overall health to consume more fruits and vegetables, and the best tasting and healthiest vegetables and fruits are those that are locally grown. Also, by buying locally grown products, you are helping your local economy.

Notes from the garden

I would guess that we are at least two weeks behind last year as far as spring weather is concerned, but if you remember, last year we did have an early spring. The weather has finally improved so that we are getting warmer temperatures, and the soil has dried out enough so that both farmers and gardeners are now getting a chance to get those seeds into the ground. And most gardeners now have a lot of their early spring crops planted. The rhubarb is coming along nicely, but the asparagus has been delayed quite a bit this year, probably because the soil temperatures have been lower than normal. Because of the early snowfall last fall, the frost didn’t go as deep, but we have not had the temperatures to get that soil warmed up. Our apricot trees are already in bloom, the cherries just beginning to bloom, and the plums and pears getting close to blooming. The apple trees are still maybe a week away from blooming, which may be a good thing. Last year when everything was so early, we had a pretty hard freeze on May 8 and 9, which froze the early blooming strawberries, and even some of the early blooming fruit trees.

For those of you who are getting anxious to get tomatoes and peppers planted, I suggest holding off for a few more days. The soil is still cold, and we are not beyond the danger of frost for a while yet. Cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi and cauliflower plants can be put out, as they will tolerate the cold and even light frost just fine.

Produce of the week — Rhubarb

Rhubarb, sometimes considered the “spring tonic,” is one of the first things we see emerge from the ground in the spring. Although the leaves themselves are considered toxic, the stalks can be used for sauce, pie, jam, and in numerous desserts, including cakes, breads, muffins and even beverages.

Rhubarb is a hardy perennial, and needs at least two months of freezing weather to grow well. Rhubarb can be started by dividing an existing plant, or by purchasing root crowns. If you want to plant rhubarb, this is a good time of the year. Some varieties of rhubarb have redder stalks, and some people believe that the redder varieties do not need to be sweetened as much, but all rhubarb is tart. Do not harvest any stalks the first year, and maybe only for a week or so the second year. After that you can harvest at least until early July, and even after that if you only take a couple stalks from each plant. Remove all seed stalks to get better production from your plants. When harvesting rhubarb, grab the stalk close to the ground and pull up.

Rhubarb can be kept in the refrigerator for two to three weeks, or for longer storage, can be washed, cut up as desired and frozen. It does not require blanching. Add sugar when using. Usually about l cup sugar will sweeten 4 cups rhubarb. Rhubarb is high in vitamin C, calcium and potassium. One pound of rhubarb will make about three cups when cut up.

Rhubarb cake

1-1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg

1 C. buttermilk

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

2 cups finely diced rhubarb

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional

Cream brown sugar and butter. Add egg and salt. Stir in buttermilk (or make sour milk by adding l Tbsp. vinegar to milk to make l cup), soda, vanilla and flour. Add rhubarb. Combine sugar, cinnamon and nuts and sprinkle on top. Bake in a greased 9- by 13-inch pan for about 35 minutes.

Rhubarb strawberry sauce

3 to 4 cups cut up rhubarb

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp. salt

2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries

2 Tbsp. butter

Bring rhubarb, sugar, water and salt to boil. Reduce heat and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add strawberries and cook about 5 minutes more, or until rhubarb is tender. Remove from heat and add butter. Serve warm or cold over ice cream, angel food cake, pudding or custard.

Rhubarb pineapple sauce

4 cups diced rhubarb

1-1/2 cups sugar

2 Tbsp. orange juice (optional)

14-ounce can pineapple chunks

Bring rhubarb, sugar and orange juice to a boil. Simmer until rhubarb is soft and serve over pineapple chunks.