First Vegetable Harvest: Beans from Bush to Plate

I was so excited today to walk in my garden after a long weekend away and find the bush beans had gone from blooming to bearing. I have some photos to show the "processing" of the beans from garden picking to preparing for lunch.

My beans are growing in a "three sisters" mound. You can read more about this in my post about planting the three sisters.

This is my little helper, adding extra dirt to the beans.

Beans should be watched daily as early as 2 weeks after blooms are spotted. They are best picked when the pods have filled out but the beans aren't full size. By that, I mean you should see some bumps indicating the beans, but you don't want giant bulges. Also, I like to harvest mine to be like haricot verts, (green beans in French). This is when the pod diameter is approx. 1/8" in diameter. I don't like to go much over 1/4".

Snap the ends off and prepare other veggies if you want. I had some leftover zucchini that needed to be eaten.

Blanch the beans. Bring a pot of water to boil. Drop in the beans. Boil for a minute or so. They will get a very pretty green color, slightly brighter.

Drain the beans.

Secret ingredient:  real butter. You can also use oils. Melt on medium high.

Throw the beans in when the butter is barely starting to brown. Stir to coat.

After about 2 minutes, add the other (softer) veggies. (If you have added other vegetables that require blanching like broccoli, then add them with the green beans.)

Season! I add garlic powder, sea salt, and an herbal antioxidant blend (dried basil, parsley, nettle, rosemary, oregano, dandelion leaf). This blend came from an herb society workshop. When it is gone, I plan to make more!

When the zucchini is slightly golden and not yet limp, it is ready. If you didn't do zucchini, just pick out a bean and test it for firmness.

Add any more seasoning or fresh herbs as needed and enjoy hot.

Written 06/12/16.