Green Beans, it’s whats for dinner!!!

or at least it was for a lot of people this summer.  the green beans were one of our success crops!  We had both green and purple available, and I learned that while the purple tasted much better, were much tenderer and crisper than their green counterparts, they were difficult to sell.  Everyone wanted what they were used to, even when I gave them samples of both the green still sold 2 to 1.  But, some people tried them for “fun” sake and the next week when they came back requested the purples, so I did get some converts, and I sold a lot to parents of young kids who had trouble getting their kids to eat vegetables, who were loving the “magic beans” that the kids gobbled down, after watching the magic their moms did in the kitchen of changing from purple to green ( and I am sure the better taste and texture didn’t hurt a bit either!). 

Growing these beans both type were super easy, we had put up trellises for them and then found out that it was not necessary, as both were self supporting.  We didn’t have any real bug  problems, but we did get major deer damage once the flowers appeared, so we had to chicken wire the whole crop in 6 feet high which made harvesting a bit more challenging ( not to mention weeding…).  Next year?  We will plant green and purple again, but will focus more on exterior fencing rather than support trellising.

These posts sure are getting a bit boring for me, and I am sure they are for you too, but I feel it is necessary to document it. So let’s just get it over with real quick like pulling off a band aid.

Cucumbers killed by hail, replanted, eaten alive by cucumber beetles, managed to make it through after covering with remay ( better late than never) harvested some cucumbers, they sold well at the market ( sold out every week i had them).

Summer Squash, patty pan and Zucchini, planted under the corn, killed by hail, replanted, devastated by squash bugs, started harvesting late, but the ones we got were so yummy!  Princess would even tell people at market not to buy the summer squash because she wanted them to eat herself ( never mind we always had more at home that did not make the market cut)!  We sold out of whatever we had weekly.  Next year we will not be plating these under the corn, they were a pain in the rear to harvest.  We will planting them as a perimeter to the corn instead.  We also will not be planting patty pans we planted 2 varieties and we didn’t like either, and they seemed more susceptible to rust.

Lettuces . salads sold great, no problems except when the cover blew off and the deer snacked away at it in the night.  I did find at my last market of the season that if I prewash, rip, and mix the greens into bags I sell much more and have less waste ( I can sell a $3 bag to each person rather than a $1 head, and their is less wilting so what I bring back is actually edible by humans instead of livestock).   Next year we will plant more common varieties, because once again that is what people want. 

~ by Robin on November 7, 2008.