Rain update - a good total for the week

Things are looking up: the past week brought us 9/10ths of an inch of rain over two days. It's amazing how quickly the lawn responds and starts looking good again. (Yes, unfashionable is it may be, I care about my lawn too.)

The fall colors are coming on in the trees and shrubs, and they are looking pretty nice, not just brown, as I feared. Still, the general dry trend continues, and next week's predicted daily high temperatures are around the 24-degree Celcius mark. That's 10 degrees above normal. (For you F-folks, that's 75 degrees, and almost 15 degrees warmer than is normal for the first week of October.)

It may be October in a couple of days, but that darned summer just won't quit.

Summer solstice: It's all down hill from here

In honour of the summer solstice, I made rhubarb custard pie for the garden helper crew today. It was not my finest effort: store-bought pie crust and the pie could have baked 10 more minutes and then cooled for a bit longer to help the custard set. Nonetheless, it was a hit. This pie has only rhubarb in it, no strawberries, which in my opinion are best eaten fresh.

YVONNE'S RHUBARB CUSTARD PIE

The custard in this pie comes from the eggs and the juiciness of the rhubarb. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

10-inch unbaked deep pie shell
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 to 5 cups chopped rhubarb in 1/2 inch pieces
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp melted butter

1. Blend together flour and sugar and sprinkle one-quarter over bottom of pie shell. (This is a nice touch, and it keeps the crust from getting soggy.) Cover with chopped rhubarb.

2. Mix remaining flour-sugar mixture with egg and butter (I usually omit the butter), and spread evenly over rhubarb.

3. Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350°F and continue baking at least one hour or until crust is golden, rhubarb soft, and the filling is set. Allow pie to cool for about two to three hours before serving.