basketful of rattlesnake beans

We picked a half bushel of the prettiest green beans you ever saw yesterday. I can’t recall ever picking beans this nice in September.

Often we have a few hanging on here and there at this time of the year, but they are usually few in number, puny, and bug damaged.

The beans we picked came from our second planting of rattlesnake beans. The first ones we planted just withered and died in the dry weather we had early on in summer. Actually we had a mishmash of weather when it comes to rain this year. We had wet, dry, normal, and now we’re back to dry again.

That first planting looked so pitiful we couldn’t bear to look at the plants any longer so we pulled them out and with the hope of a gardener planted more in their place and I’m so glad we did.

Our favorite way to eat green beans is to cook them long and slow—some folks say cooked to death. But we also really enjoy roasted green beans which works well with young beans that aren’t very full.

We only got to put up one canning of green beans this summer which is really unusual for us. Thankfully we have a few jars left from last year and this dandy picking will add a few more jars to this year’s tally.

Last night’s video: The Best Day! Putting Up Apples & Tomatoes – Fried Pies & Tater Cakes.

Tipper

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17 Comments

  1. Green beans, as American as Apple Pie and I don’t think I have ever not liked them cooked as many ways as you can.
    Hugs to the gang and God Bless you.

  2. I love green beans and don’t think I’ve ever had a variety I didn’t like. I also like the old school way of cooking green beans with some kind of pork, salt, a little butter, and cooked for hours

    1. Nancy, I also love green beans, to the point of eating so many at one time when I was kid I made myself sick. To me, there is only one way to cook green beans and that is with either a chuck of fatback or COUNTRY ham, ham hock or a left over ham bone. My mother in law would sometimes add a touch of vinegar to her green beans. We would always cook them slow and long. In the winter months Daddy like to cook his green beans in a cast iron Dutch oven on his wood heater . He would cook them for what seemed like all day.

  3. I tried green beans for the very first time this year. I only planted a few of two different varieties, and got exactly one bean of each 🙂 I’m looking forward to expanding my knowledge with a bigger project next year.

  4. We love green beans, full and cooked slow with some bacon or ham in them. Mine are just now making beans. They bloomed all summer but never made a bean. So discouraging. We had temps in the 90’s and would pour and then be dry for days. Dry now but Im watering those pretty beans. My friend brought ma bushel from West Virgina in early summer. So we have 40 pints but hope to can more before frost.

  5. I’m like you, Tipper; between the drought and the bugs, my green beans were so shackling by the end of June that I just pulled them up. I never did get around to a second planting, but a good friend came to the rescue when she had a surfeit of Blue Lakes and I got to pick almost two bushels to share with another friend. Can’t wait to try your recipe for roasted green beans!

  6. I have one bean plant that survived the summer — this morning I noticed one bean in the middle of the little and I mean little bush—even though it is just me, one bean does not constitute a mess lol…perhaps it will grow then dry and I will have a few beans to plant off this lovely plant……gotta look on the bright side of everything. Your fried pies looked scrumptious

  7. Tipper dear-hearing you got some PURTY green beans even in September makes me plumb tickled pink for you! It’s the simple things in life that really make it worth living in my opinion. Have a blessed day and May everything you put your hands to prosper!!! May the Lord bless and watch over everybody who reads this!

  8. Those beans look really good. Glad you all got a second chance. I tried a second planting with October beans – twice – and both plantings failed. I think late summer vegetables can be better than midsummer ones because bug populations may be declining rather than building.

  9. I do love a big pot of green beans cooked long and slow with a suitable amount of ham, ham hock, bacon or what have you for flavor. Mighty fine eats.

  10. we also have had a very unusual gardening year in northwest Ohio. all summer we have been saying that garden is running a month ahead feeling like a very odd year. but peppers and tomatoes have over produced.
    but same as y’all beans very poorly this year. as always thank God for his goodness for what he provides. hopefully this fall we’ll be back down home for a visit. God bless y’all!

  11. Those September rattlesnake beans are beautiful. That half bushel should get you 5 or 6 more quarts. This winter, after adding fat back and being cooked to death, they’ll sure taste good!
    I’ve never made fried pies but after watching your fried pie video last night I’m going to try!
    Everyone have a good day. Blessings to all!

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