Summerfelt Bean Trouble

Something has been eating my Summerfelt bean stems. I'm not sure what it is--maybe a cut worm (I didn't find it) or perhaps pill bugs (I'll look into that). I have lost three bean plants so far, but I have plenty that are still growing like crazy.

Beans Are Up!

My Summerfelt beans are starting to emerge! Growing dry beans (as opposed to green/string beans) is the easiest! You just plant and water (and fertilize if you remember!), then wait for the beans to dry on the bush. Once they are dry, just pick the pods and pop the beans out. If you really want to make it easy, put the dry bean pods in an old pillow case and let the kids jump on it! Or, put the pillow case with beans by a door that gets a lot of traffic and let the people walk on it. Then, you can pour out the beans and blow off the chaff. My Dad and I like to sit and shell the beans while watching TV. Store the beans in a jar on the shelf, where they will remain good for many years.

Summerfelt Beans

Last Friday I got my Summerfelt beans planted. I also covered the garden with plant trays to keep my three kitties out! Once the beans are up and growing, I will remove the trays.

These are some of my Summerfelt beans. They taste really good when made into "Navy" Bean Soup!

My Apologies . . .

I can't believe it's been over two months since I last posted! Life got busy, I forgot to post, and then I was out of the habit of posting--I will do better this time. My veggies are growing like weeds, and the harvest is going on like crazy. I have had a lot of tomatoes (made into chunks, and sauce, and then canned), a big mess of green beans (also canned), and lots of chard. The chard had volunteered the last few generations, growing willie-nillie, and I finally cleared it out. Now I have a box that I will plant my Summerfelt beans in. I found the Summerfelts several years ago in the Seed Saver's catalog; they are a dry bean, great for soups, and a little sweeter than Navy beans. My grandmother's maiden name was Summerfelt, so when I found the beans, I just had to have some! They originated from a man with the last name of Summerfelt, in Germany, in 1810--he could be an ancestor of mine!
This is a picture of my husband's tomato plant (I sure wish I could remember the name of it!)---it's about 6' tall. It has produced a lot of tomatoes, more than I expected, and has kept growing and producing (it's indeterminate, which means it keeps growing until a killing frost). The tomatoes are kind of mealy and don't have a lot of juice, so they are making some good sauce! My Roma tomatoes are producing well (they are determinate, they stop growing at about 3').

These are my green beans, with cucumbers on the trellis behind them. I have made dill pickles this year--it's been years since I made them. I love dill pickles, and they are so easy to make! I will have to post my recipe, so you can see how easy they are.