What Did You Do Today?

[Eric Krewson]

My 14' row of pole beans was ready to pick; I have never picked this many beans on this short row on a first picking before, the stainless bowl is a huge 20 qt one, I put the pint jar on the window still as a size reference. These beans are still blooming like crazy so I will have future pickings until I can all I want and quit picking.



I suspect I will be tipping, cutting, packing jars and canning beans all day to put these up. I have an obsession with buying yard sale pressure canners and rehabbing them back to new condition, most of these were $10 with the 22 qt costing $25. I may put up to $25 more dollars in one to rehab it depending on what needs to be replaced. I will probably have a couple of these going at the same time today.

The dehydrators were bought second hand as well.

[PaulN/KS]

That's a heck of a bunch of beans there. Been picking on my early planted row here for a couple weeks and they are about done. The later row is just now coming in so I'll have fresh beans for another couple weeks. Tomatoes are showing up but won't be ripe for a while. Even have a few hot peppers to pick.

The blueberries are almost done but the wild blackberries are starting to ripen already plus it looks like the wild plums are going to be good this year.

[Eric Krewson]

I canned 18 pints of beans with a few left over from what I picked to cook for lunch today. Living alone I almost never can quarts.

[Pappy]

WOW you are going to be eating good this winter. Nice work.
 Pappy

[JW_Halverson]

Nice looking pile of beans, Eric! Your growing season starts long before mine. My beans are only knee high and haven't set a blossom yet. I pulled out all the radishes I started. Plenty of tops and not a thing going on underground. Some years I do good on radishes, but most are a bust like this.

[YosemiteBen]

@ Eric -- our growing season is short soil is poor, things don't do well. jealous of the beans!
@Jw n Sleek -- thanks for getting us up and running again!
Wife and I took on our oldest teen  grandchildren in Oct, became official guardians in Dec. The have put us through the ringer! The both have chronic PTSD issues. They both spend too much time with electronics instead of nature or people. Our grandson is a cutter and his arms look like he was at a cat fight convention! They keep us busy and tired! They are a 17 yo girl who thinks she is a lesbian. A 15 yo boy who thinks he wants to be a girl. WOW, the world has changed since I was a kid.
THANKFUL to all of you here for some sense of sanity in this crazy world!

[Pappy]

Sorry to hear about all your trouble Ben, ya it is a different world it seems we live in today. Wish you the best and will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
 Pappy

[Eric Krewson]

I picked another batch of beans to can today, less than the first picking but enough to fill my canner.



I dried some excess squash to see how well it would rehydrate for later use.



I picked and cured 37 butternut squash to put in my basement for storage, I have 10 more in my garden that are not quite ripe yet. I will never eat this much squash but it keeps very well so it will be good to have on hand if a SHTF scenario should happen.





 

[GlisGlis]

@Eric great work with your garden harvest 

@Ben
I hear you. Teenagers life is really becoming difficult.
The entire smartphones, socials, distance relations, closing in the smaller bubble messed up the most important part of their life.
I am sadly sure this will hugely impact in their adult life

[YosemiteBen]

Hey Eric! I can pay shipping on a couple!

[Eric Krewson]

I tried a butternut squash cooking experiment yesterday; I make balsamic vinegar yellow squash; it sounds awful but actually tastes good. I put just a small sprit of cooking spray in a pan; I cut my yellow squash into 3/8" thick slices and sprinkle a little garlic salt and pepper on each side. I put the squash in the pan on medium heat and keep flipping it until it browns and is cooked. Next, I throw a generous splash of balsamic vinegar in the pan, the squash absorbs the vinegar as it evaporates and takes on a caramelized look and taste. To me this makes for some very tasty squash.

I tried this same method with butternut squash yesterday; I used the round stem part cut into slices. I was expecting something awful tasting but dang, it tasted just like the best fried potatoes I ever ate. I melted a little real butter over the cooked butternut rounds before I cut them into bite sized pieces to serve.     

[Eric Krewson]

Most of the big box grocery stores carry butternut squash later in the year, it doesn't look like many people are buying it, Publix always has it.

I think most folk cook what they can buy that comes out of cans, there is very little knowledge on how to cook anything outside of beans and potatoes. Often when I try to give stuff away out of my garden I get a "I don't know how to cook it" and get turned down.

It is sad that there are so few actual cooks out there now, most people eat junk and go out for most of their meals.