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| what I found waiting for me when I dusted the boys room. Warmed my mama heart. |
Did I tell you that I FINALLY caught our
FNM? I know, we have been his favorite cool down spot, special place to let his hair hang out, since the end of May. Yuck. It was a sticky trap that finally did him in.
I found my first bean on the bush this week! It is hanging there by its lonely self, no other ones in sight. I'd say I will get a good crop in about 2 weeks-hopefuly before we leave town.
There is nothing better than green beans fresh from your own garden. We cultivated the earth, marked rows, planted seeds, watered daily, talked to the little sprouts (okay, I really didn't do that-just seeing if you were still with me), weeded again, and now we can pick these slender, delicious pods.
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this also makes me smile. I call it the "I'm the king of the castle."
It will continue to grow, and eventually will probably hook up with my red bud tree,
2-3 feet away. |
Green beans come in two classes-pole and bush. And I have both. Pole beans have climbing, twisting vines, while bush beans reach a maximum height of 2 feet. There are over 130 varieties that fit into these two categories. They come in many colors-green, golden, purple, red and streaked- and range in shape from flat and long "fillets" to short and squat "romano." They are known as string beans, squeaky beans, snap beans and French beans. They are a good source of Vitamin A and potassium. They can be steamed, boiled, roasted, or grilled. They form the basis of the USA holiday favorite, Green Bean Casserole. The Japanese like theirs battered and deep fried, aka, tempura. I guess you aren't supposed to eat tons of them raw. They contain lectins which can be harmful if too many are consumed uncooked. Green beans are actually the
unripe fruit of the common bean. They used to be known as string beans because all of the varieties used to have lots of strings. But, Mr. Calvin Keeney, "the father of stringless beans," developed the first stringless variety in 1894 in LeRoy, New York. And, I for one am truly thankful. For the stringlessness, I mean.
In honor of my first green bean, I am going to share an awesome and simple recipe with you...
Green Bean Bundles
green beans
bacon
salt and pepper
olive oil
toothpicks
Snap the green beans, leaving them whole. Wash. Parboil beans (2-3" water, boiling) for 3 minutes. Drain, and allow to cool. Take bacon slices, and halve. Wrap 6-7 beans (depending on thickness- you want 1" round bundle) in half a slice of bacon and secure with toothpick. Place on cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until bacon is cooked. Enjoy.
'Cause everything is better with bacon.=)
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