Beans Beans, the Magical Fruit

Here on the homestead the nights are turning colder and the leaves are changing colors so that means Harvest Time! Today I harvested the heirloom beans. We have 3 varieties, all from Seed Savers Exchange; Kentucky Wonder Pole, Cranberry, and my favorite, the Christmas Lima Bean. You may recognize the Christmas Lima from the cover of the book Animal Vegetable, Miracle by, my favorite author, Barbara Kingsolver. If you have not read this book, I highly recommend that you put it at the top of your reading list.

An important lesson was learned: if the pod looks beautiful and rich and vibrant then the bean is immature. If the pod looks like cat-yak, there is one sexy bean inside.

I haven't quite decided what to cook with the beans. Right now I am just admiring them in a cobalt bowl on my kitchen table. Truthfully, I find the look of them satisfying enough all on their own.

Bunday Sunday

Here are my girls proving one of the eternal laws of gift-giving. Buy them a big fancy expensive toy and they play with the box. We got the Aerogarden Herb kit for my birthday this spring and have been enjoying loads and loads of fresh herbs. I highly recommend these to anyone, really anyone. The buns, however, can't get enough of the box.