Summer Solstice Hummingbird & Rhubarb Spritzer

Tonight a (juvenile-see his coloring is not complete) male Rufous Hummingbird was trapped in my sunroom! I thought it was a Ruby Throated at first, I'll have to double check their range. The gorget was SO bright, it glowed! I didn't get a great picture of that (3rd photo).

The hummingbirds are all over, but I've never had one get inside. The other day I saw what at first looked like huge hummingbirds, and they hovered. I got so close to one (hovering right in front of me, SO cool) and saw that they were actually sparrows. Absolutely gorgeous.

I took these pictures very quickly as my husband walked him to his freedom. Didn't want to stress the little guy out anymore, but what luck to get a photo and see one up close (and still)!

Then, for a summer solstice party we are about to head out to; I made a Rhubarb Spritzer to bring.

Happy Summer Solstice!

Rhubarb Spritzer:
A bunch of chopped rhubarb (guessing 6-8 cups)
Honey(agave, simple syrup etc) as needed (or whatever you want)
1 C Frozen Strawberries
Q-Tonic Water or Club Soda

I tried Juicing Rhubarb the other day, it was fine in my Champion juicer for 2 stalks. After 4-5 the fibers clog it up. So, I switched to the blender. I filled the blender with chopped Rhubarb, used the juice (from the previous attempt-you can use water) to help move things along. Once blended well, I strained the pulp from the juice with a nut milk bag, but a colander will work fine.

Complete this same juice and strain method with the cup of strawberries ( I used frozen).

Place Juice back into blender, add Strawberry Juice and Honey to taste (I did 1/2 C).

This is also good with pineapple or apple juice as a sweetener. Or add some lemon/lime!

Blend. Then chill before serving.

I poured mine into a sun tea jar, it filled it about half.. then topped it off with Tonic Water. I love how this green foam floats on top of the pink liquid. So pretty.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Smoothie

Homegrown Alaskan Rhubarb (2nd year)

While in the backcountry I developed an allergic reaction. The first night I woke with angiodemia (facial swelling) which I'm all too familiar with. I figured it was the dried fruit someone shared with me. There was mango in the package, that I avoided, but it was IN the package... soo. This continued every morning, in gradually lessening degree, even with the elimination of the dried fruit. By the end of the trip I was having a photovoltaic reaction on my hands and lips. It was pretty painful and I simply could not stay out of the sun. There was no escape.

 Not the best timing for a detox because I'm doing a large grocery/ supply shopping trip (in Alaska, that's a huge deal) in a few days and I'm going to feel like crap before I feel better. It is also going to interfere with my running. Detoxing is not fun. Afterward I feel like a new womyn though. It has to be done. I'll blog about it to show the incredible changes that occur. I'd like to do a week long cleanse. I'm going to start with 2 days. It's been a while since I cleansed and I'm feeling impatient. My mother in law brought me some Calli Tea. It sounds like a wonder tea and I've never tried it. I'll drink this, kombucha, and fresh juice. Until I return from my shopping trip, I'm going to prep for my detox with juice, smoothies and tea.

I'm a tall person.. Some of these pieces were more than ready to pick.

I harvested a bunch of Rhubarb today. Strawberries will be ready soon and I plan to make lots of goodies. Most recipes involving rhubarb are heavily sugared desserts. Fortunately I LOVE the tangy flavor of Rhubarb and don't feel the need to eat it sweetened. Well... I'm sure a Rhubarb dessert is in the works. I'm already working on changing up my salsa recipe; Rhubarb wine (I'm totally allergic to grape wine), Rhubarb Stew... trying to think of more savory ideas. I'd also like to try to invent a Rhubarb tea. Hmmm... I juiced some with apple this morning and WOW!

Wrestling the Rhubarb outside was a chore and I was pretty thirsty. So I made up a smoothie using some young Rhubarb and it was deeeelicious. Almost forgot to add that Rhubarb is pretty dern tootin' healthy too! It's actually a vegetable, quite high in Vitamin A, Vitamin K... is an Okay source of Vitamin C, pretty high in Potassium, low in calories, high in fiber. Oh yeah and deeeelicious! Nutritional Info here.

Go get cha some Rhubarb!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Smoothie

2 small stalks of Rhubarb chopped
2 Strawberries(frozen or fresh)
2 Tbs Date Syrup (soaked dates blended with soak water)
Dash or two of Cinnamon
Water as needed

The color was gorgeous and it tasted like pie! I'm sure that was the cinnamon... but maybe it was the tangy sweet thing going on too. Because (similar to celery) Rhubarb has such a high water and fiber content.. it's pretty filling too! I bet cayenne would be an awesome addition to this. But I add it to almost everything soo..
Oh! And just in case; if you are picking your own, please remember the leaves are toxic! They contain Oxalic acid (the same foe on Quinoa, Buckwheat..). Besides being poisonous, Oxalic acid can interfere with the body's calcium absorption. If you are interested in eating more raw fruits/veggies juices.. here is a list for you.