Picking green beans

When picking beans, do you pick them with the stem attached or with the stem removed? I know when cleaning them I take them off. I just don’t want to hurt my plants.

Brandy Gunderson

I hold my bean plants with one hand and pull the beans with the other. The stem usually breaks off, being attached to the bean. Then when I cut the beans, I trim off both the stem and blossom end for eating or canning. By holding the tender bean plants, you reduce the damage you’ll do to the plants otherwise. In this way you can harvest many times from those same plants. — Jackie

Feeding bad food to chickens

Recently I was given a box of dented cans. Some are quite good but some are bulged which I know are not good people food. But, is it safe to feed to the chickens?

Gail Erman
Palisade, Colorado

If they are bulging that indicates spoilage. As you don’t know what bacteria are involved, I wouldn’t feed the contents to anything; bury it so nothing gets into it, just to be safe. — Jackie

2 COMMENTS

  1. gen,

    We just got back Wills results of his CAT scan; no change. So he gets another scan in 3 months. We were happy with that. Boy, that’s tough with your granddaughter having to be hospitalized for 6 months! We’re praying for you all every day.

    I’m starting canning too; did hot pepper rings yesterday and our cukes are just starting to come in. The dill’s huge!!! Can’t wait.

  2. I may have missed it, but I sure hope Will is doing ok and he got a good check up. My grand daughter has been on chemo for 2 weeks now, and apparently will be in the hospital for another 6 months. She is definitely holding her own.
    My dad and I canned 14 quarts of sweet pickles yesterday, half were the old fashioned lime pickles, and half were the candied dills. While I’m still at home, we have been doing our best to can a couple of days a week. Mostly it has been chicken and beef, and some soup; but our garden is doing ok at the moment, and we will be checking our beets soon. One of my granddaughter’s is wanting to help me can a jelly with the frozen orange juice concentrate as it’s base, I can’t believe how delicious that is, and if she wants to help make it, she feels the same way. Prayers are with you and Will, and I think your garden looks gorgeous this summer.
    gen

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