My 2012 Green Bean Garden-2013-post #48

HunkieDorie23 said:

Baymule, you said that if you cook them to long they get mushy. So does that mean they don't can well?

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I never tried to can them. I get so many in the summer, that it is a relief when they finally freeze. Maybe make dried green beans? I think they are called "leather britches" and are strung on a string or heavy thread and hung up to dry...........hmmmmm.........might have to try that just for fun. Oh! Wait, I did sorta can some, in soup! I canned tomatoes, yellow and zuchinni squash, onion and green beans. Have eaten the soup and it all was good. Just haven't canned the beans by themselves.

We had a hard frost this week! The green beans are toast!!! I started this post on June 13, 2012 and was already harvesting green beans. It is now 12-14-2012 and they have been frosted. R.I.P. to the green beans! I picked green beans for 6 months off these vines! I will now cut the hay twine off the rebar posts and dispose of the vines.

I am going to plant another bean garden of Voilets Multi-colored Butterbeans in the Spring. So the green bean garden will get shifted a little to make room for the butterbeans. I have to leave a clear spot close to the street so we can see when backing out of the driveway! I will have two bean gardens for 2013!

For those who love green beans and want tons of produce, these are absolutely awesome green beans. This concludes my third year of growing these beans. I saved seed from the first, second and now third planting. I'll be back in the spring to let ya'll know how 2013 goes! Meantime, ya'll order some seeds for yourselves and come join me!

www.rareseeds.com long beans section Thailand #3

Hay BayMule, amazing phenomenon those trees around my forest clearing. Ya know how that with no trees and flat land days are shorter in winter than in summer? Wellp, when ya have tall trees to the south, in summer ya have just about full length days, but by november to about February the direct sun goes to a few slowly moving sunny spots. So, yea, I have plenty of sun, and at least this year, it was not frost that ended my season, nor deer getting in, but the lack of sun ended the season.

On the other hand, my tyfon holland (turnip) greens are growing huge and lush, my watermelon winter radishes are totally loving life, tasty and mild, and my round red turnips are delicious raw. I have a volunteer probably all crossed up cauliflower that's growing despite my having pulled the others. Getting curious what it's gonna be. Growing like it has hybrid vigor. It may be cauliflower that crossed with purple sprouting broccoli, or the mixed green broccoli that crossed with one of the others. Ya see, I had one of each flowering way back, and they don't self pollinate, so should all be crossed and mixed...a cool thing in my estimation. All parts are edible. All aphids are gone, toast for the winter i guess.

Marshall, at least you have something still growing! I love greens in the winter! Hey, you'll have to post pics of your mixed cauliflower! Glad the aphids are gone for you. I have them hiding down in the lettuce.

I do have a couple "Freckles" Lettuce plants, still small, and looking healthy and good. The Cauliflower plant is something like 2 feet tall, large leaved, strong, and probably will grow slowly until late February or early March, and by then should start to bud. I'll photo it and some of the other things. Main thing going on now is slowly removing the dead plants and stakings.

HunkieDorie23 said:

Baymule, you said that if you cook them to long they get mushy. So does that mean they don't can well?

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If you like them crisp, you'll think they don't can well. If I remember right, you boil them for about 5 minutes for the hot pack method, then process at pressure for about 20 minutes for pints. They are low acid so you have to pressure can them, not water bath. They stay pretty hot while the canner is losing pressure. With them cooking that long, many people think they are overcooked.

As far as texture goes, they are about like the canned ones you buy at the store. They are probably canned much the same way as far as heat goes.

Some people only want things at the absolute peak of perfection and refuse anything else. I eat fresh green beans when I can grow them, then eat the ones I've canned the rest of the year, usually two to three times a week.

baymule said:

I took this picture today of the gob of vines these beans grow into!

http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/uploads/7949_green_beans_trellis_6-13-12.jpg

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That is how I do it 2 large gardens in front 65 Chickens in back!
Love your beans when do you start them

This marks the official start to the 2013 green bean garden, year #4!! I planted seed 4-15-2013 and today is 4-19-2013, they are already up! Once they are producing, if anybody wants seed, I'll be glad to share.

The green beans are starting to vine and climb. It won't be long now!

baymule said:

It won't be long now!

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Said the monkey that got his tail caught in the lawn mower.


Sorry, just something my dear granny used to say. The horse racing phrase "And they're off," would get another granny saying that I won't repeat here. It also involved an unfortunate monkey and a lawn mower