Lima Beans

Well, the cooler weather really spiked the growth of the Lima Bean (King of the Garden) plants.  The wind bent the frame of the re-purposed garage door frame of the trellis on the North Bed, just enough to bring the lima beans into view.  My helper Aaron and I picked a bowlful, and there's another one waiting to mature!  I had given up on the Lima Beans earlier in the year when they failed to produce much of a bean before turning yellow and getting crispy.  Just too darned hot this year!

Learned a few things when researching how to prepare the beans:

1.)  Do NOT eat them raw.  They have a cyanide-like poison in them that is cooked out.

2.) Oftentimes referred to as Butter Beans in the south.

Checklist for fall:  Harvest last of beans, can tomatoes, bake and freeze acorn squash, fall prep for garden.

Off to stare at the bags of tomatoes in the freezer and decide that today is not the day to can. . .

Carrot-Tomato-Caterpillar Soup

Here's the tale of my Tomato-Carrot-Caterpillar Soup a la Soule Mama!

Chapter One:  The recipe was discovered whilst perusing Soule Mama's website, which I try to do every day.  A decision was made to make Carrot-Tomato Soup for dinner Saturday.  Without doubt, a trip to the market would be needed.  Old Mother Hubbard lives with me.  One phone call, and Husband is on the job!

Chapter Two:  Saturday arrives and the soup gets started. . . uh-oh, no chicken broth in a can, nor box, nor refrigerator, nor cube.  ME without a car and Husband with work, the soup was put off for a day.  Breaking the news to hsband was a sad sight and sound, "Awwwww, I've been looking forward to that soup all day!"  In a selfless effort to rectify the dinner situation, I suggested we go out for dinner, which we did, Parkside Grille.  YUM!

Chapter Three:

Peeled, halved and roasted tomatoes (3 lbs. fresh from garden, 1 lb. thawed from fresh frozen supply)

Sauteed carrots, onion, celery, garlic with a good dose of chicken broth on top!

Yum!

Epilogue:  The title of this story demands a story about carrots, tomatoes, and caterpillars.  It was in the final stages of the soup-making when C-Pillar Jr. was discovered.  He was on the basil and if he'd been still, I'd surely have missed him, then eaten him.  However, he was a scurrier. 

THE END

Modifications to the recipe:  I substituted fresh raw whole milk for cream.

July 31 Garden Update- Late, I know!

Rock Garden with thriving Acorn Squash, a single healthy Golden Jubilee Tomoato plant, and two healthy Henderson's pink

In the front of the picture should be lush Beauregard Sweet Potatoes, but the groundhogs have dug their way thru and under my fence and nibbled them down to stubs.

Mule Team Tomatoes at about 4' tall, Henderson's Pink Ponderosa at a bout 6' tall.

Banana Pepper bushes are loaded up with fruit!

Henderson's Pink Ponderosa with signs of blight on plants

Golden Jubilee Tomato, Hot Banana Peppers

These are pictures I snapped on the last day of July.  After 23+ days at 90 degrees or higher, I am just glad everything hasn't burned up.  That Golden Jubilee was the one and only tomato from that plant.  The peppers were either chopped and frozen or roasted and then frozen.

OK, off to select more pictures for the next entry. . .