beans and greens

the beans are winding down after a nicely productive summer.  i stopped picking the pole beans a couple weeks ago to let them ripen some seeds for planting next year.  we've still got some bush beans coming in for green beans but they've slowed quite a bit with the cooler nights and shorter days.  we're pretty much eating them as fast as they come in.  happy to have several pounds tucked away in the freezer---they'll be a nice treat this winter.  as the beans and summer squash go out of production the greens and lettuces have started filling in the gaps.  leaves of various sorts are our main winter vegetable source.  this year we'll have plenty of winter squash to go with the greens---they're a nice combination---just add butter.

most of the scarlet runners, rattlesnakes, and purple poddeds are still drying down but i have been bringing in dry pods of limas, goldrush, mountain pima burro, and three varieties of teparies.
they're all beautiful.  most of the seeds from this year's harvest will be saved to build up a good seed stock for replanting and adapting.  not enough for any serious eating this time around but i'll probably sacrifice a few of each variety to a mixed bean soup at some point this winter.  as the seed stock increases i'll be working on getting more into the ground each year for larger harvests.

here are the beans...

rattlesnake pod swelling with seeds

runner beans

tohono o'odham brown tepary beans

santa rita wild tepary

mountain pima burro

dry lima pods

pima orange lima

petaluma goldrush pods beginning to dry on vine

petaluma goldrush

and some greens...

komatsuna and pac choi in hand---kales,broccoli,brussels sprouts, cabbages, mizunas in background

broccoli

chinese cabbage and pac choi