OK, so technically, MS is June July and August, but you know, if it is Memorial Day Weekend, it is the start of summer to me. As a kid, that was the big weekend to get the garden in, remember? I remember those 4×50′ rows of green beans, even when we had 3 years supply in the freezer already. But there was something that felt so important about setting those tomato plants in their holes, pouring in water and then filling the hole with soil and then adding more water, mudding them in really well and getting them off to a good start.
My garden keeps getting smaller over the years, partly because of lack of time to garden and partly because when you get a crop share like Wilson and I do, you have to pretty much eat veggies full time just to keep up with the box. No sense in adding to it.
But I’m excited this year - I have a project! Here are seeds for Oaxacan pinto beans. Aren’t they gorgeous? I’m growing them out for Rancho Gordo, a farm from which I’ve been buying heirloom beans. Some people splurge by upgrading from a Ford to a Lexus; we splurge by upgrading from Bush’s to Rancho Gordo. I’ve been assured that it is a no stress proposition - I don’t possess the entire remaining seedstock or anything like that. Still, it gives me a goal. Watch for progress notes. I’m geeky enough to separate the colors and plant them that way. And if you have ideas for keeping rabbits and deer away, please let me know!
I have lovely daughters who send lovely knitterly things for Mother’s Day. Jenny sent a book chair - so cute and it holds your book upright so you can read and knit at the same time. It is currently in use in the kitchen with a cookbook, and I’m too lazy to go get a photo of it, but I’ll show you later. 
Karen sent lovely sock yarn - Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock in the Knitters without Borders colorway, so it is even more a gift that relates to her. Two pictures, so you can see its many beautiful moods. Somehow it reminds me of a calico cat.
Not much knitting this week - I’ve started Spanish classes and between class (6 hours this week) and study (about as much again) my evenings have been full. But we have a long weekend coming, and I sure ain’t planting 200′ of green beans.
Love,
Ellen
Jan and Ellen are identical twins who have always had an innate fashion sense. Crafting is an integral part of their lives and they stay stitched together sharing their love of knitting, family and community.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Oaxacan pinto beans? How very very cool! I can’t wait to see how they come out. What an amazing project — how did you get involved in it? The yarn is gorgeous; isn’t it nice to have daughters who get the whole knitting thing? Enjoy your long weekend
May 24th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
so are you growing them for the ranch? To keep the variety going? I always wonder about the heirlooms how much you can rationalize eating when the plant is endangered. Good for you.
Me, I’m an eater. But I do love to grow the heirloom tomatoes, the weirder the better.
May 24th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
YOu have such nice daughters. That yarn is very pretty. The pinto beans are pretty too! Who knew??
May 24th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Ellen! I didn’t know you were a dry bean eater! There are few of us these days. I’m a newbie, so would love any recipes. I’ll tell you have I made my bison and scarlet runner bean sloppy joes. Or tepary and sweet potato posole. I get some of my dried beans from http://www.nativeseeds.org/v2/cat.php?catID=54 If you want to practice Spanish, let me know. I’m really rusty myself and could you the practice. And, cool yarn, BTW. I knew I was forgetting something good about having kids….
May 24th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
I do have wonderful daughters. And they don’t only “get” the knitting thing - they have pretty much demonstrated the case of the student surpassing the teacher.
The bean project got started when the owner of RG included a mention in their newsletter that he was looking for a few extra gardens to grow out a few beans that didn’t make it into his contracted acres. I’m a little nervous about it. Especially about the bunnies.
May 24th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Kathy - you sound far more sophisticated in your bean eating than me! I just cook up a pot on the weekend (saute chopped onion, carrot, celeriac if I have it; wash beans and throw in pot with sauted veggies; add water to about an inch or so above beans and soak as long as I can be patient, at least a few hours; cook until soft and salt at the end (salt and acid prevent the cell walls from breaking down as nicely, so if tomatoes were to go in, I’d add at the end, too). I don’t discard the soak water, obviously, as so many recommend for elimination of “bean issues” because #1 - it doesn’t, really, and #2 - if you eat beans regularly, your friendly bacterial inhabitants adjust their population balance away from hydrogen formers and towards butyrate formers and the issues disappear. Butyrate is a main source of nutrition for the epithelial cells of your intestine, so beans are very, very good for you! (I can see the eyeballs rolling, really, I can, but it’s my blog, darn it, so I can be as geeky as I want for as long as I want.)
BTW - did you know you have 10X more bacterial friends on/in your body than you have of your very own cells? It pays to keep them happy. (In case you didn’t have enough of a geek fix.)
May 25th, 2008 at 10:50 am
I personally enjoy it when you get your geek on, heh. I loves me some beans and those in the photo ARE beautiful! I also love that you’re separating them by colour and planting, keeping track etc.
I would’ve thought my kids understood the gift/yarn thing but have they sneaked a peek at the stash closet? I don’t know. It doesn’t and shouldn’t matter. We loves our yarn. ….
May 25th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Cool beans….my friend Kathleen would love it — that’s her expression whenever something tickles her fancy. I can hear her saying it about those beans right now. And if I were you, I’d take them at their word, that it’s a no pressure proposition. You might want to put chicken wire quonset huts over part of the row if you are really worried about the bunnies.
My kids called me on Mother’s Day. They both promised better for our birthday. I was satisfied with the calls at the time, but now that I’ve seen the Socks that Rock, I may have changed my satisfaction level!