Thursday, August 12, 2010

At least the beans warn you

Beans, bush beans, are second only to zucchini in the glut category, in my experience. Today was the first serious shot across the bow by the little rats. Fortunately, as they've been giving a bean or two at a time for a few days now, I was almost ready. And by "almost ready," I mean I'm very close to pulling out all the cucumber vines except the lemon ones. That should help with the feeling of drowning in produce. My goal was to make enough pickles for the year, and I think I did that.

Next year, though, a few more of the tiny "Rocky" baby eating cukes (seeds from Territorial) have got to be coaxed along. Only two vines isn't enough to hand them out for snacks. I don't think I've even gotten a picture of any -- they get eaten pretty quickly, and they're only 5" long.

If I don't eat beans immediately, they sit on the counter and wither. Everything save the Cherokee Purple from the top photo went into lunch today -- the beans flash-sauteed with a bunch of garlic and some salt, the tomatoes and lemon cucumber with chunks of feta, some vinegar and olive oil.


Beans like that are my favorite prep -- sometimes with sesame oil and seeds, too. The trick is to get them almost burnt in spots, and to use more garlic than seems advisable. I've taken it to movies as a snack, although it's probably not fair to wave that much garlic around unless you have enough to share.

I have enough summer squash to share.


Some of it will get cubed under breadcrumbs tonight, but I bet it won't make too much of a dent. There's always the food bank, fritters, and soup, though.

15 comments:

thyme2garden said...

Garlicky beans as a movie theatre snack? I would have never thought of it myself, but now that I've read it, it sounds almost halfway tempting. Do you take a fork with you, too, or just eat it with your fingers? Well, you know, since no one can see you in the dark...

meemsnyc said...

Garlic beans. I'll have to try that!

Jan said...

My beans have all died :-( as they didn't get enough water while I was away. I've put some more in so fingers crossed, and well try that recipe if I get some.

el said...

Beans.

Have you tried eating them as shell beans? The wonderful thing about any and all beans is they can be eaten at all three stages: fresh, shell, and dried. I consider this the busy gardener's face-saver: so, well, those wax beans I didn't get to last week? This week, they're lovely bumpy-podded black shell beans (simmered in a garlicky butter water) and in two weeks they're on their way to being dried either for seed-saving or for, you know, dried black beans.

It's my "I meant to do that" vegetable, really.

Jeff Vandiver said...

Oh gosh, that's alot of squash! I tried that variety last year, and didn't like the taste of them..

kitsapFG said...

My beans are just now coming on and I am thrilled because everything has been so late this year that to finally have something to try and stay on top of (other than zuchinni) is a refreshing change!

Stefaneener said...

thyme2, fingers, of course. . . just like popcorn!

meemsnyc, let me know if you do!

Jan, poor you! I often have to replant because of the birds.

el, that's a good reminder. I love shell beans, but had it in my head that certain varieties were best for that.

EG, I think I'm at the point where all summer squash tastes the same. I'm not a huge fan.

kitsapFG, here's hoping!

esperanza said...

I am so sorry I broke the house rule of no more than 2 squash plants. I'll come whisk some away today!

chaiselongue said...

The beans look delicious and the summer squash are amazing!

Jackie said...

What do you think about the taste of the yellow wax beans? Better than average?

Stefaneener said...

esperanza, I'd like to see you eating all of these squash. Do you think you could keep up?

chaiselongue, they were yummy.

Jackie, the yellow beans are very tender. That seems to be the link, as far as my experience goes. Same with the snow peas.

Lisa said...

You rock!!!

The cucumber beetles ate all my summer squash. I pretty much suck as a gardener. What the slugs didn't kill, the beetles did.

Oh well, gardening is about optimism for the future. Thank goodness I don't have to subsist on my harvests!

Stefaneener said...

Oh, Lisa. Come and get some tomatillo puree and some beans!

Mr. H. said...

You know this post reminds me that I planted some wax beans a while back...and forgot about them. Hmm, I'm going to assume they never came up as I have not stumbled upon any of late. Your beans look great!

The Chicken Keepers said...

Garden produce is the BEST!