Bean Bonanza! The Farm Report 10-17-2022

 The Farm Report
10-17-2022

Bean Bonanza!

"Hey Tim!" said Annie Oakley. "Is this a load of beans or what!?"

My Fall Green Bean project paid off in spades this year. They were plentiful, big, plump, tasty, juicy...

 
… And straight!

But then the other night, it was 27F, and apparently green beans don't like that.

After the sun came up, and the leaves began to warm, they showed us just exactly how much they DO NOT like cold. It was a disaster.

Well, after a panic cussing, and a cup or two or three of coffee while I licked my wounds and felt sorry for myself, I went back out to the field garden and looked again. To my surprise and pleasure, down under that frozen foliage were the most beautiful green beans still smiling up at me and just begging to be picked. So we did.

"Tim, buddy," said Annie "you're wasting our time again on these beans. Not everybody here at Oakdale Farm even likes to eat 'em." Well, Annie, I do! So I set up to pick off the beans from the frosted plants.

I've told you before that I plant Blue Lake 274 bush beans because they taste fantastic, and because they produce one heavy crop all at once. This makes it really easy to just pull the whole plant out of the patch and head for a nice chair and a shade tree to pick off the beans.

Once I have the beans picked off the plants, then I do this setup outside on my veranda and cut 'em up into canning lengths.

Some people (like my wife, Joyce used to do!) insist upon snapping them into lengths. I'm a knife guy. I take a bunch at one time and use the French knife to whack 'em into compliance. I think it is faster - and you would too if you had big old ham fists like I do. Whatever gets the job done, I say.

Time passes and this is the result. Actually, this is one-half of the result. Yep! I had/have double this amount of green beans canned and on the pantry shelf for winter. How will I ever eat all of these? Well, I don't know and I really don't care. I'll eat all I want; give some away to my kids if they want some; find friends; pitch the rest next year if I have another big crop or ???? It doesn't hurt to have plenty on the pantry shelf for me!

The Gypsy broccoli is still doing it's thing. I love Gypsy. It is delicious, and it keeps on putting off these big side shoots right up until it can't grow anymore - which will be pretty soon now. Our low temps are supposed to be in the teens for the next few days out here in the beautiful sunny southwest Iowa.

'Hey Tim! This is horseradish. It will be great on our sandwiches!" I'm not sure Annie even knows what horseradish is, but I'll let you know when she tries a bite. Some of us might have more fun with that adventure than others.... Just sayin'

I have been so thrilled with my hybrid tea rose project this year. They have just flowered and flowered growing in 10 gallon fabric grow bags. I set them in a plastic lined tire to act as a water reservoir, and they thrived. More next year!

The last rose of the season. I just love hybrid tea roses. How could you not?

More progress on the cave project! My brother came out to the farm, and we stripped away all the rotten old wood from the entrance to the cave/root cellar. The masonry part is still just about perfect. As nearly as we can figure, it was built around the same time as my house - which was begun in 1903. 

This shot is from down inside it looking back up towards the outdoors. The construction is made of fired glazed tile blocks. This was very common around the turn of the century - the last century. See the little flat sides on the steps? My Dad used to tell me that they were made that way so a slide could be used to bring heavy barrels up and down the steps. It is just too good to not repair it and make it useable again.

This is a closer look up above the steps. The ceiling is lined with wood. I think partly for insulation, but if you look carefully, you'll see some iron rings mounted in the ceiling, too. Hanging cured meat, bags of onions, etc. from these hooks was another storage trick the old guys knew. Way down in the cellar it was colder and more humid. Up in the anteroom it was warmer and drier.

The wood appears to be cypress. Cypress wood will not rot. If we're right in our thinking, this wood would be about 120 years old now - and it's still as good as when it was installed. The boards are tucked back into a recess to hold them. They are not nailed or screwed to the top.

While we were surveying the frost damage to the beans, suddenly Annie went on guard alert. She heard the Sky Tractor coming before I did. I'm a big believer in cover cropping my fields. We've done it now for a decade or so, and the soil - and the crops - show the benefit of it. The rye/radish blend (or whatever they sow) is planted from the air by a guy in a little airplane I call the Sky Tractor. He is fearless! When you watch the video below, remember, he is flying at less than tree top height and going REALLY FAST. There is no opportunity to correct for problems or stutters. Think: SPLAT! But that's how it's done out here....

 

Here he comes!

And now for something completely different, as the Monty Python people said. This cute little 'possum isn't going to have to worry about the winter hibernation this year. I didn't do the dirty deed, but let's just say, his subscription expired.

Every so often on places like Facebook somebody will post about how valuable the Opossum is and that we shouldn't harm them. Apparently they can make a living for themselves eating ticks. Well, baloney! This pic is evidence for you that either, A. ticks are much bigger and more difficult to kill than I thought, or B. The Opossum is a meat eater. I happen to believe more in B than A. Why? Those fangs have been used by this guy - or his close relatives - to kill and eat a lot of my chickens in days gone by. They are not the warm cuddly furry friends from Facebook. They are meat eating predators who can and will attack and kill my chickens during the night when I'm blissfully unaware. So there. Now at least I feel better for getting that off my chest. I prefer DEET to keep ticks away from me anyway.

As the seasons close on the apple harvest, I just had to make one more of my secret apple pies. What's so secret? Well, for one, I can do it. Two, I cheat. Remember, I'm an old guy on my own who has lost his champion baker. I have not lost my appetite! What to do? I buy the crust at Walmart. I pre-bake it in a pan. Then I put some microwaved apple slices (I have a machine for that, of course) into the bottom of the pan. I then pour on some applesauce - mine is home canned from my own apples. I add more apple slices and so on until the pan is about ready to overflow. I put a few more slices on to make 'er pretty, and bake it some more. This time, I put on some sugar and cinnamon powder. Serve with aged cheese.

More next time. All is well at Oakdale Farm.