Month: August 2021

Jacob’s Cattle bean harvest

CatherineLeave a comment

I noticed some of these pods were starting to rot in places. So I harvested a lot of them. Left some on the vine that looked green and still relatively whole. There’s been more rain than usual and it’s not working to let bean pods dry on the plant.

I left the pods out to dry for a few days, and then shelled the beans. Their color is very attractive, a beige with a lovely maroon mottling around the center. The newly shelled beans feel a bit damp, so I’m leaving the beans in the tray to dry thoroughly. I once had a bowl of green beans shelled for seed saving develop a killing crop of mold and I had to compost them. Lesson learned.

I couldn’t help thinking that this was a lot of work for a quantity of dried beans I could just casually pick up for a few dollars in the store. This is going to be one special bean dish when I get around to cooking it.

Jacob’s Cattle bean harvest

Basil and peppers

CatherineLeave a comment

These are the crops growing the raised beds in the hoophouse area, which has been uncovered this summer to benefit from the natural sunshine and rain.

Basil, direct-seeded. These were planted relatively late and did well. There are some strange tiny-leaved plants in there. A form of stunted dwarf basil?
The peppers that did well were purchased as seedlings. The plants I grew from seed did nothing. I probably transplanted them when the ground was not yet warm enough. I have a lot of trouble with peppers.

Camp – rug

CatherineLeave a comment

Jerry secured this beautiful rug for camp. I think it will really work well with the pale green walls and the general ambience. We’re not ready for a rug yet, so it will be stored in the loft temporarily. I will pick up some of the colors for furnishings, especially the maroon and delft blue tones.

Allium family

CatherineLeave a comment

This is my harvest of yellow onions on the Community Garden. I pulled them out of the ground because most were falling over. They are curing for a few days while the weather forecast is predicting warm and sunny.

Curiously, the red and white varieties are still growing and haven’t fallen over. Interesting.

Yellow onion crop

I decided to fill in the trough these leeks were growing in. I think the trough is supposed to aid in blanching the bottom of the leek plant to provide a longer white stem, good for eating. These plants finally look healthy, after a rough start from an overgrown pot of seedlings that I rescued.

Late-planted leeks

Garden friend

CatherineLeave a comment

I think this is the first time I’ve seen a frog in the garden. We’ve had a lot of rain this year, which makes it a wetter place to be. I was happy to see this chubby one, first hiding under a red cabbage leaf and then staying in place for a photo with weed tendril adornment.