Dry Edible Bean Time

Richard finished Canning Carrots (65 Pints, 14 Quarts) on September 11. Yes, we will be saving some ahead as "fresh". Today he brought in the last Big Batch of Tomatoes (10 Gallons). Throughout the afternoon, he has had his own special Tomato Herb Sauce going. With all those Tomatoes, Herbs, Onions and Garlic, the House has smelled wonderful. The Sauce should be complete tomorrow.

As we look at last year's records in relation to what we are harvesting now, we are nearing the "end" of the bulk of Harvest. However, we don't dare sit on the Sidelines twiddling those tired Thumbs. Many details will need to be complete in terms of preservation and putting the Garden to bed. But an end is in sight, we have been successful so far, and all of that feels good.

I am happy to report that it is now "Dry Edible Bean Time". I absolutely love growing and harvesting Dry Edible Beans. I have no idea why. Maybe I don't need to know why. I just like it. A lot.

Over the Summer, those lovely yet Humble Dry Edible Bean Plants have been developing Foliage, Flowers and Pods. They don't ask for much. We do our best to keep them weeded. We mulch inbetween the Rows with Straw. That keeps in the moisture, suppresses Weeds, and gives us an easy space for walking.

Of those Seeds that I planted, some did not germinate. The Ground must have been too cold and too wet. I replanted the open spots in the rows with the same Seeds if I had them. If I didn't, I just planted others. I did keep records, but at harvest, the whole process became interesting.

In some rows, some Pods are ready to be harvested, while others are still green. When I pick the Pods, I am not always sure what I will have. The Old Me would have been in a snit over details. The New Me just calls it Magic and Surprise in the Garden.

As other parts of the Garden have demanded their own Center Stage, those Humble Bean Plants have just been perking right along. Most of the Pods are now getting brown. When I am out in the Garden, I just can't help myself. I have to peak inside. Routinely, I check out the Pods to see which ones are ready and I stuff my pockets with Pods and Beans for further examination and sharing when I get back into the house.

When the Beans are Dry inside the Pods, they are Ripe. Precisely at that time, I have to pick them. Otherwise, I will lose the crop to Moisture or those Pods will shatter, throwing Bean Seeds in all directions. You might say the Plant is giving the Dry Beans back to the Earth. Of course, I would like some for myself and my Family too.

The following Pictures and Text show some samples of the Beans we have harvested from the Garden so far. At the beginning of the Summer, we had probably 16-18 varieties waiting in Cue. Melanie harvested her Mung Beans. Gee, are they tiny. They are fun to harvest, because they can really fly.In the middle of the Garden, I have a 3 Sisters Garden which combines Corn, Beans, Squash (and Sunflowers). This Garden is planted in the Gardening Tradition of some of the 1st Peoples of this Continent, or at least what I know of it. The Corn is a heavy Feeder. The Beans fix Nitrogen in the Soil. The Beans also are viners, growing up the supportive stalks of the Corn and the Sunflowers. The Squash grow at the Feet of the Tall Ones, shading out Weeds.

For the most part, this formula worked and it worked very well. I used mostly Native American Varieties. The only problem was that the Wind and Rain pushed at the Corn putting it on a slant. The Beans were so prolific that they drug down the Corn, but the Corn was productive anyway. The Garden still worked, it just did not work the way that I had expected. So much for the Gardener's expectations.

In the 3 Sisters Garden, I grew Cherokee Trail of Tears Beans. Story has it that the Cherokee People on their forced march on the "Trail of Tears" in the early 1800s hand carried this Bean Seed on their way to Oklahoma Territory. The Beans are small and a shiny black. They are just beautiful. I purchased them from Seed Savers. Richard loves Kidney Beans, so I could not pass up the opportunity to grow them. They are so beautiful with their rich dark Red. I purchased these Charlevoix Dark Red Kidney Bean from Seeds Savers.I love Baked Beans. The last 2 Fall Seasons, I have been making them with our Molasses for the Molasses Making weekends. That's coming up these next 2 weekends. I found the Boston Favorite Bean from Seed Savers. The picture on the Seed Pack shows a golden color background. Ours turned out more of a creamy tan. I do not know why they are different. Not surprisingly, I have more stuff to learn. The Cherokee Wax Bean is a smaller dark red Bean. I got it from Seeds of Change.I love this Bean. It is called "Tiger Eye" and a bit larger than the others. I believe I got it originally from Seed Savers. I planted the Seeds from those I had saved.Painted Pony Bean is a new one for us. I think they are just absolutely beautiful. The "rump" of the Bean reminds me of an Appaloosa Horse with a white blanket trimmed with spots on its rump.

I still have more Beans to harvest. I have them in pans and on hardware cloth to "dry". I stir them several times a day with my Hands. I continue to remove Beans which aren't at the standard we would like to have. That includes removing any with Mold. Once the Beans are dry, I will store them in Canning Jars in the Pantry.

While it may appear that I am growing these just because they are pretty, I really do like Dry Edible Beans for eating. Melanie and I have decided that we need to eat less Meat. We do not intend to become Vegetarian because Meat is an important part of our Diet and Health.

Dry Edible Beans are very good sources of Protein. They are far less expensive than Meat, both in terms of saving money and cutting back on the Human Impact on the Planet. These days, those things sound like a good plan.