Tuesday 11 May 2010

Magic Beans

May is planting time rather than sewing time as the allotment screams for attention. The nights are still chilly so many seeds are sown in the greenhouse for safety. I have a wonderful neighbour to my plot. Ray has been tilling his patch for about 45 years, and although in his 80's, he tills the land to within an inch of it's life! He has always got a saucy joke or a bit of wisdom to impart. Anyway he has given me a lovely collection of his saved bean seeds. They are beautiful aren't they? Magic beans upon a growing quilt project.



















Apparently those lovely shiny black beans are an old Norfolk type - highly prized!


















These round beans produce flat beans which climb. They are topped and tailed and eaten after steaming. I would love to know what they are called.











I was watching Alys Fowler on T.V. growing her veg and edible flowers. It's very inspiring. I heard that apparently one can eat the weed goosegrass. We call it Sticky Willy here - it gets stuck all over your legs when you walk through it. When it is steamed or wilted it's just like spinach. I had it for lunch! You can almost taste the iron!!

7 comments:

  1. I don't know what the official name is but I remember my mother calling flat beans runners.

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  2. We have wild 'poke salad' greens here. We used to pick it often when I was growing up. It was very strong, so you had to drain the first water it was cooked in and then add more. We like 'lambs quarters' too, and its very pretty with it's pink and green tops. Lots of wild things are very good.

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  3. The Cretans eat most green plants that grow out of the ground..

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  4. Oh I love beans! My grandfather had quite a collection of bean seeds that he saved. I always feel connected to him when I plant seeds... Garden is growing so fast, it's my priority too.

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  5. Oh, I hear you! My garden is screaming out for attention - more than I have time to give :(

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  6. We call them runner beans here - but they are slightly rounded. I get confused when French beans come on the scene - some of them climb, but I think they are REALLY rounded.THen there are these flat podded ones, borlottis and flagolets ... one could do a degree in beanology!

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  7. Wow! Goosegrass is edible! This means my back 40 is edible. I think we have this Sticky Willy everywhere. The burrs get caught in the cat's underbellies and tails, then onto the afghan on the bed, then into my pajamas...I'll have to check this out. Thanks, Clare!

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