We’ve been getting some real cold nights along with rainy days, so we’ve been continuing our harvest. I’ve been shelling the last of our new beans and the star is a dry bean, Monachelle di Trevio. I bought ten bean seeds for this productive pole bean and ended up harvesting two pounds of seed! It isn’t enough to offer this year in our seed catalog, but it is enough that I can plant tons next year. Besides being beautiful red and white, this round bean is easy to shell, and quite early to dry down. We’ll be tasting a few too, but being from Italy, I’m sure it’s very good.
I picked nearly all of our peppers as the plants in our hoop house got frozen a couple of nights ago. Besides taking the seeds from the mature peppers, I’ve been making big batches of Cowgirl Candy. I’m even thinking of how good it would taste as a topping for cheesecake — sweet with a pop of hot.
Will got busy and picked the last of our apples, Keepsake, Frostbite and Chestnut crabs, which are two inches in diameter and very good eating apples. Now I’ve got to get busy and can ’em up as none besides Keepsake really will keep long. Boy, have we ever been munching on them with buckets full on the front porch. Nothing beats an icy, juicy, sweet, crisp apple!
We’ve also been splitting up more firewood. The last pile will fill the wood shed but I’m sure Will is going to go down and get more to pile up on our enclosed back porch. It’s great to have plenty of wood to cook with and keep us toasty warm. Wonderful!
— Jackie
i am really jealous of the apple harvest. all i can get right now is pears because our apple trees are not producing yet. keep up the good work.
Alice,
I can most of my apples just like you do. Of course, there’s also apple sauce and apple butter!
Cindy,
I believe both St. Lawrence Nurseries and Fedco Trees carry both Frostbite and Chestnut crabs although I don’t remember seeing Chestnuts in their current catalog. (But you could contact them and see if they might have a few so you could still get one!)
The beans look interesting and lucky you with all the apples. What is your favorite way to can them, if I can be nosy. My husband’s favorite is for me to can quarters or slices in a light syrup made with 1 cup of sugar to 6 cups of water. I just use the instructions in the USDA guide. Glad your harvest is going well. Looking forward to hearing any feedback on the taste of the dried beans. I enjoy the various flavors of some of the heritage varieties when they are available.
Those are some pretty beans. If they taste as good as they look, I look forward to trying some when you have enough to sell. I hope we have better luck with our apples next year. A late frost got most, then something got the 6 apples that survived. Yours look lovely.
The beans look wonderful and so do those apples. I can’t wait to see what your new offerings will be in your seed catalog.
Where would I be able to purchase the Chestnut crabapple tree and the Frostbite trees? Those look good.
Thanks for sharing! Cindy
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