Gardening in the Valley of Heart's Delight

June Progress Update

I had a revelation the first time I planted beans. When I saw the crack in the dirt appear as the beans broke through and headed for the sky, I realized I had never fully appreciated the story Jack and the Beanstalk. Oh, the fairytale exaggerates, of course, but there's a good reason it's called Jack and the Beanstalk and not, say, Jack and the Peastalk or Jack and the Celerystalk.

Beans germinate in just a few days and immediately send up sturdy, leafy stems like this. And they continue to grow quickly, especially if they're pole beans. I'm growing two pole beans: Blue Lake, which is a delicious standard green bean, and Romano, which is a flat Italian type. Plus I have two bush beans: yellow wax and purple. The purple ones, alas, turn green when cooked, but they look cool growing on the vines.

I didn't like beans much when I was growing up. But I love them now, as long as they're fresh, not frozen or canned. Unless, of course, the canned ones are my own pickled basil beans. Those may sound odd, but if you like pickles, give them a try. The following recipe is adapted from the excellent Farm Journal Freezing and Canning Cookbook. (This recipe assumes you know the basics of canning.)

Karen's Pickled Beans

2 lbs crisp green beans, washed
1 tsp dried, crushed red pepper or 4 fresh peppers
4 cloves of garlic
4 large sprigs of basil (or 4 dill heads or 4 tbsp dill seed)

Heat to boiling:

2 c. water
2 c. vinegar
2 tsp salt

In each of 4 hot, sterilized pint jars, place 1/4 tsp red pepper (or 1 fresh pepper), 1 clove of garlic, 1 sprig of basil (or dill). Pack with beans, making sure none will stick up out of the brine. Pour hot brine over beans to within 1/2" of the top. Process in boiling water bath for 5 min. Let cure at least 1 month before tasting. Yum!