There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of a freshly weeded garden. The plants have more room to breathe, I have more room to work, and the whole space just looks neater and happier. In fact, I find weeding to be a satisfying task overall.

I’ve dedicated a few hours this week to tidying up the garden, and I just love coming to the end of a row with tired fingers and muddy knees and looking back at the bare mulch of the walkway and weed-free crops on either side of it. I don’t even mind the “tedium” of pulling up the undesirable plants, as long as I can find the time to do it.

Around this time every year, the weeds begin to take over entirely, because I can hardly keep up with the more urgent tasks of watering and harvesting (so many beans!). Of course, I haven’t needed to turn on the hose in days, if not weeks, thanks to the frequent rain, which frees up a good hour or two each week.

But you’re here to find out what I’ve been harvesting! Beans, of course, as well as yellow squash, zucchini, and okra. I’ve also picked a handful each of cherry tomatoes and cucamelons, though not enough for market yet, unfortunately.

In case you haven’t seen my post about them on Facebook, cucamelons are fun little heirloom cucumbers from Mexico that look like bite-sized watermelons and taste like cucumbers with a light, vinegary tang reminiscent of pickles. Although I’m sure they’d be delicious in a salad, I can’t stop snacking on them!

I also made more dilly beans this week (beans pickled with dill and garlic), and I will have the first batch at the market tomorrow. They are flavorful and crunchy, and Paul and I could just about eat a whole jar in one sitting.

The Broadway Community Market is having a “foodie event” tomorrow, with extended hours (8am-1pm) and three prepared-food vendors, so come hungry! I will have:

• Dilly beans
• Fresh beans
• Yellow squash
• Zucchini
• Okra
• Garlic salt
• Crochet/knit items

See you at the market!

Summer is bean season around here. And although it’s hard to tell until we’re on the downslope, this week might be peak, judging by the abundance of beans filling the fridge right now.

What does one do with so many beans? Well, I’ve been making dilly beans and freezing market leftovers. There’s something incredibly satisfying about popping open a jar of dilly beans or pulling beans out of the freezer in the middle of winter.

And freezing beans is super easy! It takes just three steps:

1. Wash and snap beans.
2. Blanch for three minutes.
3. Freeze!

Make sure to dump the beans into ice water immediately after blanching to stop the cooking process. I like to then spread them out on a cookie sheet to freeze for about an hour before putting them in containers. This means that when I pull a container (or bag) out of the freezer, I can pour out however much I want instead of using a whole frozen block.

Oh, and the dilly beans? They take a couple weeks to reach full flavor, so I plan to have them at the market next week. They’re crispy, juicy, and deliciously dilly, with a bit of tang to keep things interesting. I’m not a huge fan of pickles, but I love dilly beans!

At the market this week:

• beans
• okra
• yellow squash
• zucchini
• garlic salt
• crocheted/knit items

Tomorrow looks like another hot, sunny day, so come out to the Broadway Community Market early and beat the heat! The tall brick wall at our backs keeps us nicely shaded, and Naty’s Mexican Cuisine always has some fun iced drinks to try (not to mention delicious tacos).

See you at the market!

Each year, I plant at least one new-to-me “experimental” crop. I see if it grows well, whether I like it, and (if there’s enough to sell) how it does at market. This winter, I got a little carried away when dog-earing the seed catalogs. I’m growing six new crops.

Yep, six: painted hills corn, Cajun jewel okra, Henderson bush lima beans, golden summer crookneck squash, cucamelons, and Chinese pink celery. That’s not to mention the new varieties of crops, like red currant cherry tomatoes. All of these “new” crops are heirloom varieties, meaning they’ve been passed down for generations. The summer squash has been grown here since before 1492!

You’ve already seen the golden summer squash at the market, and the okra, lima beans, and celery might be showing up soon too. The cucamelons – tiny cucumbers that resemble watermelons – are just starting to flower, and the corn, well, we’ll see if the critters leave me any. As with any experimental crop, whether I bring these vegetables to market depends on how big of a harvest I get from them.

Speaking of the market, tomorrow you can expect more beans and summer squash, fresh basil, garlic salt, and handmade items.

I’m selling a mixture of two bean varieties this year: ‘Contender,’ which is a standard green snap bean, and ‘Dragon Tongue,’ a cream-colored Dutch wax bean with striking purple streaks and excellent flavor. Both are stringless, tender, and great for fresh eating, cooking, freezing, or pickling. I highly recommend sautéing a handful with some sliced squash and seasoning it all with chopped basil and a generous sprinkle of garlic salt. Yum!