Hounds In The Kitchen » beans

The Lenghtiest Homegrown Staple: Dry Beans

Rachel Tayse — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:15:36 +0000

Have you ever made homegrown dried beans?

It’s a lengthy and annoying process, in my opinion. I do it every year because I just can’t stand to waste.

Here’s how it goes:

I try to pick fresh green beans I grow every few days. We like the little sweet ones.

Beans are prolific. The bright green leave camouflage the slender green sickles. I miss many that then grow too big for us to enjoy fresh.

What’s a lazy girl to do? Leave them on the vine, growing until they are full of fat beans. I leave them there while they whither. I don’t pick until the leaves themselves have withered and I’m tired of looking at the whole mess.

Finally, after a few days without rain, I pick all the pods. I dry them further outside (where sometimes I forget to bring them in and they mold, see the dragon tongue yield on right) or in the house in a big bowl.

Weeks later, or when I can’t stand the big bowl sitting around any more, I harvest the beans by hand. I crack each papery husk and remove the dry beans inside. It takes an hour or more to select the edible from the inedible. I leave them in open topped containers, stirring occasionally, to be sure the beans are truly dry before pantry storage.

The metal bowl above was filled to overflowing with bean pods and look at the tiny yield: a half pint jar of Kentucky pole beans, a half pint jar of another bean, and a scant few tablespoons of dragon tongues beans (left to right in top picture).

Harvesting homegrown dry beans, a timely process, makes me appreciate how inexpensive they are at the store. Freshly dried beans have fantastic texture and I will enjoy my tiny quantity. I just can’t see trying to grow them for dry storage in any quantity without processing equipment.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Lenghtiest Homegrown Staple: Dry Beans is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Harvesting Dragon Tongue Bush Beans

Rachel Tayse — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:57:39 +0000

We’re harvesting beans, baskets of beautiful yellow and purple striped beans.

unassuming row of dragon tongue bush beans

These heirloom dragon tongue beans are a bush bean, meaning they do not need to be trellised. They grow down towards the soil hiding under wide umbrella leaves.

The beans can be cooked fresh. Sadly they lose their beautiful coloration, cooking to a light yellow color. They have a buttery taste with a crisp texture, making them delicious steamed or added to stir fries.

The pods can also be left to dry on the vine. When the seedpods are shriveled, pick them and allow them to dry further on a cookie cooling rack. Remove the pod and dry the speckled beans further on a rack on top of the fridge or in another dry place. Store in an airtight container when they are completely dry. Beans can be kept dry this way for up to a year or made into the best beans and rice ever.

Are you growing beans this year? What’s your favorite variety to grow or eat?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harvesting Dragon Tongue Bush Beans is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

The Best Beans and Rice Ever

Rachel Tayse — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:50:51 +0000

Tuesday night I cooked the best beans and rice ever.

I’m sure it’s the best because I grew the beans, picked the beans, dried the beans, and finally cooked them. Do you know how many fresh beans it takes to make a cup of dried beans? Now I do and it’s a LOT.

I didn’t use a recipe (I rarely do) but here’s what I can recall:
[print_this]

Best Beans and Rice
Makes: 6 entrée servings
Time: 25 minutes preparation, 1-2 hours simmering

Cook dry beans with 3 cups water and bay leaves in pressure cooker for 25 minutes.

Cook peppers, onion, and garlic in a large pot with olive oil over medium high heat until softened.

Add rice to pot and stir to coat. Add beans (discard bay leaves), veggie stock, 2 cups water, chilis, soy sauce, and old bay.

After 1 hour, check seasonings. Add tomato paste. Continue cooking until rice is tender, adding more water as necessary. Correct seasonings again if needed and serve.

[/print_this]

Have you ever worked so hard in the creation of something that the final product is elevated beyond usual expectations?

I added this recipe to the Food Renegade Fight Back Friday blog carnival.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Best Beans and Rice Ever is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Plants grow UP

Rachel Tayse — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:24:03 +0000

No matter which way you plant them, seeds grow with leaves up and roots underground. Climbers like ivy, always reach for the top of a tree.

Green beans always climb up their support, never down. This one in my garden was heading down a support but changed direction and is now growing right back up on top of itself.

bean growing UP

It’s an effect called gravitropism, or tropism.

The plant hormone auxin causes plants to repspond to gravity by always sending roots in the direction of gravitational pull and stems against the direction of gravitational pull.

Try this to observe gravitropism with your kids:

1) Prepare three growing environments by inserting a folded paper towel in a ziploc bag.

2) Put a bean seed in the middle of the paper towel and wet it. Partially seal the bag.

3) Tape them to a sunny window.

4) After the bean has sprouted (note the sprout going UP), turn two of the bags a quarter turn. Leave the third one in place as a constant.

5) Keep the paper towel moist but not soaked.

6) Let the plants grow another inch or so and turn again.

What happens? Do the plants get confused?

PS. I am on vacation and the house we’re at has a slow internet connection. I am reducing pictures because they take too long to load. Sorry!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Plants grow UP is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!