Preservation

 

The garden at this time of the year is nearly a full time job. Above was the bounty from a single day of picking along with a basketful of dry shell beans below.

For some reason, the end plants of each row of dry beans had very green pods still on them while all the plants in the middle were dry to the point some where starting to sprout or rot. So I picked everything for two of the three different varieties I planted this year.

First, I turned the tomatoes into tomato soup, something we enjoy all winter long with grilled cheese sandwiches whenever a light meal is desired. It is also popular among friends and family and so we give a fair amount of it away too.

I also took the time to quickly blanch some extra green beans, soak them in an ice bath and then vacuum bag and freeze them. They become a quick side dish for meals coming up. We mostly ate them as they were being produced so we won't be eating them all year long unfortunately.

As it turned out, the Olympics were on right as the dry beans needed shelling and doing the shelling is something I enjoy. I shelled them from my easier chair as I watched the games unfold and soon, medals were won and the beans were ready to be dried down.

The final drying and sterilization occurs in our oven at low heat, I blow the chaff from them as best as I can using a fan and two large metal bowls on the deck, I pick out most of the bad beans that I find, and then I jar them up for later use. Sometimes I boil and then let them soak overnight to be made into something the following day or I pressure can them into ready to heat and serve portions. But for now, to take up less space, they will sit on my shelf, dried and stored in glass mason jars for me to admire the future possibilities.