Gadding About in my Butterbean Patch

A "mess" of butter beans ready to cook.  Enough for two people. 

My younger son is very fond of lima beans, so I thought I would plant butter beans (that's what we call lima beans in the south) in the raised bed in my garden.  I knew I could have enough to get a mess or two. (A mess in the south is at least one serving.  A mess depends on how many people you plan to feed actually.)

Why are these beans called butter beans?  Apparently, because they become rather creamy and buttery when cooked.  The term butter beans is used in England as well as here in the South. But not in the North. 

It was fun watching the beans sprout and come pushing through the soil.  Unfortunately,  although all the beans sprouted some hungry rabbit or perhaps deer feasted off half of them.  Thankfully the varmint did not return to finish off the crop. 

My butter bean patch where about half of the plants provided food for some hungry animal. 

Bean are mature enough to pick. 

Today I decided enough of the beans were mature enough to pick.  Patrick has been following these beans since I planted them and I showed him how to pick and shell them.  I can remember when I was growing up my folks had a large row or two of butter beans every summer and we had a lot to pick and shell.  Some of them would have been canned and others might have been mixed in with corn and tomatoes and canned to make succotash.

The pods usually contain three or four beans. 

The beans vary in size depending upon their maturity.  The smallest one could have grown a bit more, and the one on the far right is almost too big.  It could have been left to pick as a dried bean.  Notice the most mature ones turn somewhat beige. 

Enough beans to make a 'mess" (serving) for two people. 

It had been so long since I have cooked butter beans that I had to google to see how long to cook them.  I covered them with water and let them simmer for about an hour until they seemed done.
So for dinner tonight one of our side dishes will be butter beans. 

Ready to simmer covered in water for about an hour. 

A pat of butter on the butter beans is a must in this household.  Ready to eat as a nice side dish. 

Now I have to check to see what I can plan in the raised bed for the fall.  Maybe I'll try mixed greens--turnip, mustard, and kale. 

I Survived George Kehoe's Berry-Picking Hike

The berries are way over on top of that hill, and I'm behind the others and still have a long way to go.

I became quite fond of partridge berries (known as fox berries here in Cape Breton) while we were in Newfoundland recently, and when I met George and Claire Kehoe over at the Civic Center where they were selling their garden goodies I learned that they picked fox berries over at Rocky Bay near their home.  Rocky Bay is on Isle Madame on the east coast of Cape Breton, and the habitat is suitable for these little berries unlike here in Marble Mountain.

Tiny partridge (fox) berries growing over at Rocky Bay.

Saturday we were planning to visit our friend Lawrence in Arichat (also on Isle Madame), and we arranged to visit George and Claire at their place and go berry picking.  The fox berry season has just begun, and I wanted to lay in a supply to freeze to have ready when we get back here next May.  It was a beautiful sunny, but quite windy day, and I insisted on walking to the site where the berries grew.  George had suggested we drive to a road that was a bit closer to where we would be picking, but oh no I insisted upon walking (hiking as it turned out).

One of the Kehoe's garden in an open meadow down toward the woods.

First we walked down into an open meadow where several of the Kehoe's gardens grew and then through the woods where in every open area there was a little patch of garden.

Scarlet runner beans.

It's hard to believe that corn grows here, the season is so short.

A nice pumpkin.

And Claire has lots of flowers scattered in among the veggies too.

Claire's lilies.

Sunflowers.

Then we trudged up and down and finally over to the coast, and I could see why this area is named Rocky Bay.

The rocky beach below.

Once on the coast we still had a long series of hills, up and down and over rocks, until we reached the meadow-like exposure high above the rocky beach.

We're half way there, and I'm still standing.

It seemed as if we had hiked ten miles, but George assured me it was more like two miles, but hey, I'm not so sure.   But here was a beautiful field of these tiny little berries.  It was fun picking them, and the hike was worth it.

These berries are very tiny and although Claire picks them  by hand, George uses a blueberry rake which I found more useful.

George uses a blueberry rake to harvest the tiny berries.

On the way home, Dan, George and Claire, and I'm still behind.

 We didn't have time to pick the gallon I wanted, but luckily the Kehoes had picked some for me earlier.

A gallon of partridge berries.

Not only did I have the experience of picking partridge berries, but along the way I was delighted to see the many little "gardens" or patches of vegetables.  George is a retired mathematics teacher, and gardening is his and Claire's hobby.  It's seems to me it's more like an occupation growing all these vegetables in their little ten acre spot on Rocky Bay.

I'm so happy to have had the chance to see the fox berries growing and to pick some.  I did survive the two-mile (?) hike, but boy am I sore today.  Thanks George and Claire for a unique experience.

Herb Class at Logan's

Herb Class at Logan's Garden Shop

Logan's One Stop Garden Shop is one of my favorite places to buy plants and other items for the garden.  This past Saturday I attended a class on raising and using herbs.  We have had a nice rosemary plant for several years now where I can get fresh rosemary whenever I need it.  In the summers at Marble Mountain I usually grow several kinds of basil and chives.  But Terry Harper of Logan's introduced me to several new herbs in the class on Saturday.  She covered the ins and outs of growing herbs as well as how to use them in cooking. 

Good crowd to learn about growing herbs.

Terry Harper of Logan's is very knowledgeable about growing and using herbs.

Logan's is located in the space that formerly housed the Seaboard Railway station, and trains still pass by as one did during the lecture on Saturday. 

Train in background passing by during the class.

Logan's has a great selection of herbs.

Basil at Logan's

I hope everyone protected their basil because it was COLD last night.

I think I'll experiment with growing a few more herbs this summer.  If you're in Raleigh, you might want to check out Logan's One Stop Garden Shop.