Beans, beans, and MORE beans!

Just about every year, since moving to MS 20 years ago, I have had a garden.  However, I am usually a very busy person.  I also don't like getting up early in the morning.  I have also worked, at least part time, for most of the years, as well.  All that to say, my garden didn't always get the attention it deserved to produce what it could have. Or, if it did, I let the produce go bad before finding time to put it up in one way or another.  I know, I'm a really bad person!  This year, I was going to do better (yeah, I've said that before!).  I actually did this year.  I managed to keep most of the morning glories and other weeds at bay.  And, we had just the right amount of rain and just the right amount of warm weather to make a beautiful garden!

These are my 3 double 30' rows of Rattlesnake green beans.

Of course, there are other things like corn, cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, potatoes, peppers, onions, watermelon, cantaloup and tomatoes.  (I'll get to the tomatoes later.)  And, like all good gardens, when the time was right, my cucumbers, zucchini and squash started coming in.  They were so beautiful!  I made pickles and grated zucchini for breads and sauteed squash.  

Well, we were going to a family reunion/mini-vacation to Gulf Shores 2 weeks ago.  I went to the garden that morning to pick the last few cucumbers, squash and zucchini that needed to be picked before leaving.  The last time I had checked the beans, there hadn't been anything yet, just some blooms, but I decided to look at them before heading back to the house.  Oh, no!!  There were beans!  Ready to be picked!!  And I was leaving in a few hours!!!  Why couldn't they have just waited one more week???  So instead of finishing packing, I picked beans...for 2 hours!!   This is just a small amount that I actually gave away!  I decided to

take the rest with me on vacation to cook.  Well, that didn't happen so I brought them back home.  Since I had kept them in the cooler or the fridge, they were still good.  Once we got home, I finally got them broken.  It seemed like I would go out every day and pick at least 2 plastic bags full of beans every evening.  Plus, I was still getting cucumbers, zucchini, squash and potatoes. 

I started canning beans.  I've canned 21 quarts so far.

I'm still picking beans and breaking beans.  Last night, I was up past midnight breaking beans.  Unfortunately, I had let many of them get too big (I don't like shellies) so they became food for the chickens!  I should have at least 7 more quarts or maybe even 10-12 from what I have in the fridge now.  They will be done first thing in the morning!

                                              But, I've got to get them done!  Tomatoes are a'waitin!