Of bees and 'barb

I'm short on pictures but long on garden memories for the last month!  The spring lettuces have all bolted, but plenty of other veggies to harvest. The bees are doing well and I've thoroughly enjoyed watching them flying into their hive with legs loaded with pollen. Did you know bees actually have special rakes, combs and a press on their back legs that help compress the pollen and make it into a pile on a smooth spot on their legs called a pollen basket or "corbicula" so they can transport it more easily back to the hive.  Fascinating. 

I've also enjoyed seeing our first rhubarb harvest!  We grew the rhubarb from seeds last year, and they are perennials, so they'll come back every year on their own. Rhubarb is actually a cool weather crop, so I'm surprised it's doing as well as it is in our bright hot sunny field. There are two different kinds: Fraulein Sharfer  and Macdonalds but I'll be darned if I can tell the difference.  Rhubarb is very high in iron and vitamins A and C.  The Chinese have been growing it since 2700 BC, but it was first recorded as being grown in the US in Maine around 1790-1800.  It probably won't grow much once it gets very hot, but if we stop harvesting when it slows down, it may produce more again in fall.

Rhubarb