Get in the Garden » bean

Now Harvesting: Heirloom Beans

Lisa Gustavson — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:50:09 +0000

My green thumb came only as a result

of the mistakes I made while learning

to see things from the plant’s point of view.

~H. Fred Dale

As long as I’ve been growing vegetables in our backyard, I will never tire of harvesting beans. Beans, be they bush or pole, snap, shelly or dried are the dependable working grunts in my vegetable garden. I love them! The seeds are easy to sow, the plants relatively quick and easy to grow and the harvests are more than fifty-fold for each seed planted. Unlike many other vegetables in my zone 5/6 garden, I’m able to sow bean seeds once a week through mid-summer and have harvests until a frost kills them… even then the spent plants are nitrogen-rich additions to our garden beds! When friends ask which seeds are best to start with in a new vegetable garden I always suggest heirloom beans.

The popularity of heirloom seeds has brought a bevy of lovely old bean seeds back into seed catalogs and local shops… do try a few! Where the delicious and prolific Provider bean is my “staple” bean for canning and freezing, we’re enjoy “Dragon Tongue”, “Vermont Cranberry”, “Rattlesnake”, “Purple Queen” and more all summer for fresh eating and recipes. Pole bean varieties “Gold of Bacau”, “Trionfo Violetto” and “Borlotti” pick up where the bush beans leave off and one one pole bean “Christmas Lima” will be dried and used all winter along with other beans we’re drying. The tastes are unique, the colors are beautiful and most heirloom beans are delicious at the snap and shelly stage (when the seeds begin to bulge in the pods). It isn’t too late to sow a few beautiful heirloom bush beans for a fall harvest, but get them in the soil soon. Keep the soil moist and pick any pesky beetles that may appear to chomp the foliage. No room in the garden? Tuck a few heirloom bean seeds in among your flowers where they add a splash of color or sow a few in a container. Wherever you plant them you’ll be glad you did… say hello to beautiful heirloom beans! Happy gardening!

From top to bottom we’re picking today:

“Rattlesnake” bush bean

“Dragon Tongue” bush bean

“Purple Queen” bush bean

“Vermont Cranberry” bush bean

Victory Beans!

Lisa Gustavson — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:07:07 +0000

Things won are done, joy’s soul lies in the doing.

~William Shakespeare

This is a gardening season has a rallying cry “Rise to the challenge!” The weather has been changeable, unpredictable and just plain odd. The critters are working in tandem a they tour the garden at will and the weeds…well, we all know about weeds. This season is a battle of wits and wills against the one I try hardest to cooperate with… nature.

Incredibly, the Dragon Tongue beans have produced and are ready to pick. An heirloom variety well known for its flavor and beautiful, colorful pods I’ve looked forward to growing them and eating them since late last winter. An early spring planting yielded healthy seedlings in about a week’s time that, like the rest of the garden, have suffered repeated attacks since. Frost, snow, driving rain and wind. They boldly pressed onward and upward… and blossoms eventually appeared. So did the bunnies and beetles. Nibbled halfway to the ground they sulked and sagged, yet after a brief delay they recovered and new leaves eventually appeared like a green robe to cover the naked stems. Beetles began to nibble, but the daily rain kept me from picking them off, weeds grew around the plants but it was too wet to cultivate. They battle belonged to the bean plants and I’ve learned just how resilient they are.

The warm breeze of the last few days was enough to dry the garden out and hubby and I were able to tour the garden for the first time in over a week. Just inside the gate, like stalwart soldiers bruised from battle were these:

Withered tops of nibbled stems peeking out, beetle holes in the leaves apparent and wet weather taking its toll aside… these beans are gorgeous! Not only beautiful but abundant, the plants are loaded and the beans are tender and delicious. No,the plants aren’t pretty to look at as they have been in years past, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder… behold my victorious heirloom beans! Happy gardening!

Now Harvesting: Fava Beans

Lisa Gustavson — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:40:12 +0000

Rain, rain go away… the favas need to be harvested today! Thankfully the afternoon weather turned out to be nicer than the morning’s and I spent time in the garden harvesting the fava beans. I’ve been eagerly awaiting the day of picking for this new-to-my-garden crop ever since the black and white blossoms appeared a few weeks ago.

Favas are a wonder crop nutritionally. Nicknamed ‘the poor man’s meat’ they are low in fat high in fiber and an excellent source of protein. (Hence the nickname.) Favas can be harvested and eaten at the green bean stage while small, thin and tender. The top shoots of the plants can also be pinched off and cooked as you would spinach or other greens throughout the season. Most commonly, though, the beans are harvested at the ’shelly’ stage’ when the pods are 5″-7″ and immature seeds are pale green and just beginning to bulge in the pithy pods. (Sorry if that sounds vulgar!)

The bean pods are quite thick, but the blossom end acts as a zipper to easily open them up revealing the seeds that resemble chubby lima beans. They can be eaten raw in salads etc. but are usually parboiled to remove the waxy outer-coating that has a bitter taste. After boiling, the buttery soft and nutty flavored beans are perfect for any recipe calling for fresh beans or peas. Try them! There’s a recipe posted under June just waiting for you!

My New Fava-rite Plant

Lisa Gustavson — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:54:11 +0000

“Let us cultivate our gardens.”

~Voltaire

My (now retired) hairdresser is to credit with my new fondness for favas. It was his fun and vivid description of his extended Italian family’s annual tradition. Aunts and uncles, cousins young and old, all marching out to their huge shared garden in late winter and planting row after row of favas until their fingers freeze. The sowing completed, they head back inside and spend the rest of the day sharing good food and trying to thaw. Never have I heard of such devotion to any vegetable, let alone fava beans which I know primarily as a cover crop due to their high nitrogen fixing ability. I don’t know anyone that grows them, let alone sows 140 rows, to eat! Obviously I was missing something.

Was I ever! This past March I braved the biting cold and trudged to the garden with my packet of ‘Broad Windsor’ fava seeds in hand. I chose a small bed along the side of our shed to plant them. Fava seeds are quite large, about the size of a quarter and almost twice as thick. They should be sowed 2″ deep and 6″ apart in rows spaced 24″ apart. I learned (after sowing) the beans germinate faster if you soak them first. I made sure to mulch the already-moist bed with brush to maintain the soil moisture until sprouts appeared.

After the first green shoots appeared the plants grew quickly in the cool temperatures and spring rain, but the stout stems give the plant a very erect growth habit…no flopping or bending over with these beans.

They continued to stretch until they reached about 3 1/2′ tall. Curious, I began to check daily for signs of blossoms. After a week of nothing, I ignored them while I planted the rest of the garden and battled with late frost warnings. One morning as I walked back to check the pole beans after yet another frost I was elated to see these:

Aren’t the black and white blossoms beautiful? They cover the plant from about mid-stem to the top. I can honestly say, whether we like the edible beans or not (they’re not mature yet), I will plant favas in the garden from now on. I do regret planting them alone in rows by the shed, how lovely they would look mixed in among early flowering lupines. These are my new favorites in the garden! It was well worth the freezing start, the endless Hannibal Lecter jokes and the wait…favas are my new fava-rite plant! Happy gardening!

Vegetable gardening: 101

Lisa Gustavson — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:02:35 +0000

I walked in the season’s first snowflakes today. Their visit was fleeting, just a hint of what’s to come by week’s end. I wish they’d stayed, the day was otherwise quite gloomy. That aside, it was a chance for one last visit to the garden for kale and the rest of the parsley. The blonde squirrel that was so novel last spring has mucked up the garlic bed and I’ll be out there re-planting tomorrow. Spring will most likely find garlic and Black Walnut tree seedlings growing together from her errant planting!

Speaking of which…today begins “Vegetable Growing 101″. Every Tuesday and Thursday of this month I’ll highlight tips and hints for growing different heirloom vegetables to assist you in making choices for your spring garden. Also, at the bottom of this entry there’s a treat for you the reader, just a little “thank you” for stopping by. Enjoy!

These vegetables grow in full sun, requiring at least 8 hours:

Bush bean blossoms.

Bush or “Snap” bean: (Phaseolus vulgaris) Most take from 40-56 days to produce making them a quick crop. The seeds are sown outdoors in spring after all danger of frost is past. (Frost dates here.)

To plant: Make a furrow 1″ deep in light soil (or a raised bed) and plant the seeds 1″- 2″ apart in it. Cover with soil, tamping it down. Beans produce heavily, but for a short time. To extend the harvest, sow a new row every 2 weeks up until the end of mid-summer (July in NY).
Pests: Chipmunks, mice etc. may steal the seeds. To deter them secure a piece of screen across the bed until the seeds sprout. Bean beetles (Japanese beetles) will chew the foliage. Use an organic foliar spray (recipe here) to deter them. Critters like deer, woodchucks etc. will eat the plants.Again, use a foliar spray, row covers, sprinkle blood meal around the perimeter of the bed, or a tall fence.
Tips: Never pick beans when the plants are wet, it spreads fungus. The seed can be soaked in water for an hour before planting to hasten germination. Inoculant (sold at most garden stores) is beneficial nitrogen-fixing bacteria that comes in a powder. Coating the damp seeds with the inoculant increases the plant’s yields and improves the soil. Simply stir the damp beans in 1/2 tsp. inoculant until coated. Several rows can provide enough beans for fresh eating and freezing for winter.
Seed saving: Allow several of the healthiest plants to grow to full maturity and let the bean pods dry fully on the plants. Shell the seeds, test by pressing a nail into one; it should be difficult to dent. Store in a cool dark place.

Bush beans come in many different colors, all are easy to grow.

Carrot: (Umbelliferae, sativa) 60-76 days until harvest. Sow seed from mid-spring through mid- summer (for a fall crop). Germination can be as long as one month if planted too early in cold soil.

To plant: Carrot seed is tiny and easy to sow too thickly. Mix sand or dry coffee grounds with the seed before planting to thin it. Make a row 1/2″ deep in deeply tilled, light soil and sow the seed mix. Cover with 1/2″ fine soil and keep moist.
Pests: Larvae of flies and other tunneling insects can be avoided by waiting until late spring to plant and harvesting before mid-fall. Weeds will often take over the bed before the seeds germinate, cultivate carefully.If rabbits munch the tops, use a foliar spray or sprinkle blood meal along the row to deter them.
Tips: Cover the row with a fine screen to prevent the seed from washing away in spring rains. Thin to 2-4″ apart for best growth.
Seed saving: Carrots are biennial. They produce seed the second year after planting. The blossoms easily cross-pollinate with the wildflower Queen Anne’s Lace. Keep the wildflower trimmed back until after the carrot seed heads form. To save seed pull up carrots before a frost kills the foliage. Store in sawdust in a cool dark place and re-plant the following spring. Harvest seeds from the second set of blossoms

And now for a gift from getinthegarden! I’m giving away FREE heirloom seeds to five valuable readers. (USA only, please.) It’s my way of thanking you for spending time here and encouraging you to grow organic heirloom vegetables at home. To enter the drawing, leave a comment mentioning ”heirloom seeds” or send an e-mail to getinthegarden@gmail.com. (E-mail addresses are protected and will not be sold or used. You will not receive offers or promotions from getinthegarden.) On december 22 I’ll select five names at random. Thanks again for spending time here and be sure to check back Wednesday for all new December recipes!