Glad you don’t bite, Rattlesnake Bean!

Three ripe tomatoes on vine in garden

Welcome to our Garden Edition of this blog.

Don’t you love late summer? 

When you can–if you’ve planted a garden during the spring or early summer–harvest your lunch from just outside your front door?

Tender young zucchini

At 11 a.m. I ventured outside into our garden.  Opened the electric fence (meant to keep out Mama Deer, Papa Buck and Munching Fawns who–in the past–have eaten the entire garden.)

Wide open zucchini flower

First I peeked at the zucchini and squash.  A few days ago I made zucchini relish because we had so many monster squash growing.  We didn’t think we would have any acorn or butternut squash this year due to the dry second-half-of-the-summer but, hey, you know what?  I am predicting that we might get a squash or two. 

Our very crooked row of second-generation lettuce

I surveyed our second-generation lettuce.  You know what second-generation lettuce is?  It’s when you harvest the first generation and then let the stalk continue to grow.  We’re about ready to toss our last salad with garden lettuce then pull up our crooked row. 

 

The garden is on its way out.

Glory of swiss chard

The “Rainbow” Swiss Card and hearty kale have been delightful this year.  Eat your greens, kids!  We hear the Greeks live longer than the rest of us because they eat their greens.  Last night Kiah sautéed onions and added marinara sauce to our kale.  Magnificent! 

 

Glad you don't bite, Rattlesnake Bean

Today I started–sigh–pulling up the bean plants.  After harvesting all the remainder of the Rattlesnake beans, that is.  You all know that Rattlesnake Beans are kin to the Pinto Bean, don’t you?  They are very good.  Nice growing beans.  We recommend them thoroughly.

Rattlesnake bean flower

Pulling up the bean plants is No Fun.  I do not like this job.  First, you have to admire little flowers who are attempting to bloom atop.  Then you look at the dusty dry soil underneath and the yellow leaves and know that–no matter what those little flowers seem to be saying–it’s time to pull.

When you pull up the beans...the challenges which remain in the bean fence.

 The challenge of pulling beans is this.  See that photo up above?  Tell me how you’re going to separate the wrapped tendrils from the fence.  Really, you can’t do it very well.  Thus the tendrils and fence shall remain intertwined, forever more.  You try to do a good job.  But you simply can’t separate every strand. 

A Larger Garden View

See what our garden looks like from a larger view?  Too bad it’s been such a dry late summer.  Rain poured abundantly in June, then refused to sprinkle for weeks on end. 

Yet–this always amazes me–no matter what we think–the garden always produces enough.

Enough is just right.  Enough is perfect.

Garden lunch

By noon the brocoli and beans and zucchini and carrots were simmering.  I added some minced “bunched onions” that look and taste like chives along with some hoisin sauce and sesame oil.  Served the garden veggies atop rice and sighed with delight.  Yes!  Late August garden lunch!  Nothing better in the whole world…