Monday, June 21, 2021

Our First Harvest

So, how did you celebrate Father's Day?

I started mine with a 6:30 wake-up for no reason whatsoever. So, after the usual morning stuff, and while everyone else was still asleep, I finally went out and started pulling up the rhubarb that we have growing next to the garage. It took a while, but I got a nice big batch of rhubarb:


I'd say it was close to twenty-five pounds of rhubarb. It certainly felt like it was that much when I was carrying it in the house. The leaves, of course, ended up in the compost bin that the province picks up every other week. I don't feel like getting oxalic acid in my own compost pile, so I'll let them have it. I'm generous like that.

Our neighbor wanted some of the rhubarb, so they took an armful of it before I started chopping it up. They used to get it themselves when the house was unoccupied, and since it's such a huge plant, there was no point in keeping it all for ourselves anyway. So, they came by and grabbed it, and then it was time to chop up the rest. It took a while; rhubarb can be tough, especially when the stalks are thick. But I persevered, and finally got this:


That is one of Garrett's toy bins, rinsed and cleaned. It holds quite a bit of rhubarb, as you can see. It took me almost an hour to chop it all up, but it felt good to get it done.

Some people say you should soak the rhubarb overnight to get any residual oxalic acid out of it; others say you don't have to, because it's a minimal amount that won't hurt you. I say, why take the chance? So, we soaked it overnight:


That picture gives a better idea of just how much rhubarb we have. I have no idea if we're going to be able to eat it all, but we've got some good recipes to try, including my mother's Rhubarb-Peach Cobbler, which I haven't tasted in decades. I'm looking forward to it.

But that wasn't all we did for Father's Day. I got to go out and plant stuff in the gardens; bush beans, corn, and peas. I didn't take any pictures, since it just looks like plain dirt at this point. But the veggies will grow. We're on our way to making a real farm out of this place.

And last night, Dannielle and I took Garrett to Thunder Cove Beach, which is on Malpeque Bay, to see the Teacup Rock and the sunset over the water. It was an amazing view; it's absolutely beautiful there. It's beautiful everywhere on this island, frankly. I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to live here. Oh, did I mention the caves?


The cave doesn't actually go anywhere, but just take a look. I don't know about you, but my imagination was fired up looking in there. There were a couple of other caves there, smaller than that.

Dannielle and I walked along the beach with Garrett, who was having a great time. He's actually sitting with me as I type this, and pointing at the cave picture above. He crawled in and had a good look around while we were there.

By the time we walked away from this spot, the 'S' was already washed away by the waves. But at least we have the memories.

All in all, I would have to say that this was a successful and pleasant Father's Day. I'm looking forward to our further explorations of the island, and whatever mysteries and majesty await us.

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