Nobody complain about the heat - we've waited a long time for this! It's really nice when it gets this warm and there's still a nice breeze. Couldn't be better weather to do whatever it is you are up to. I'm pretty much taking it easy, enjoying the breeze. Fred did the recycling this morning and now is down at his computer. I've been sorting newspaper clippings to file with the other historical society stuff, but a little later I'm going to make some rhubarb sauce. My rhubarb is huge as always, and I need to get out there and pick some. I used to make rhubarb pies, but don't often make pies of any kind any more. I make rhubarb sauce because I enjoy it plain, especially with bread and butter or on ice cream, and I use it on pork chops or ham as a glaze, mix it with fresh fruit like strawberries, or layered with vanilla pudding and fruit - lots of ways to enjoy it.

We always looked forward to rhubarb when I was a kid. It was about the first thing fresh from the garden except for horseradish, and while I like that, too, a little goes a long way, and I use it sparingly. The rhubarb was kind of like the old fashioned sulphur and molasses treatment my grandmother used to talk about everyone in the family having to take every spring. I think it had to do with preventing boils or something. After a long Vermont winter, the body needed the iron in the molasses and the whatever in the sulphur. Likewise, lots of people believe that we benefit from the vitamin C, calcium, fiber and potassium found in rhubarb. It's a natural laxative, and with all that acid, has to be good for lots of things, kind of like lemons are.

We learned at an early age that the leaves are poison. I don't know if that's true, but I'm always very careful to whack off the leaves in the field and then wash the stalks well before dicing them up to cook. I don't care that it takes a lot of sugar to make rhubarb sauce; there are, I'm sure, real benefits from having moderate amounts of sugar in our diet. First of all, it tastes good! Without it some foods are just plain awful, and that's depressing, so sugar must be good for depression. I don't care where I get my sugar, from honey or maple syrup, granulated or powdered. Although I definitely prefer the fruits that have it naturally, when rhubarb is ready in the spring, I go for as much sugar as it takes to make it such a wonderful treat.

I had a nice note from a sometime Joe's Ponder, offering me his doctor's recommendation for dealing with vertigo. Hank read on the blog about my bout with it last week and very kindly sent me this link telling about the maneuver his doctor recommends. I'm ok now, but may give his suggestion a try next time I get it. Perhaps it'll help someone else who has vertigo, so I'm passing it on.
Vertigo Help

And here are the pictures Fred took this morning when he recycled in Hardwick. Slides