Eat Your Green Beans

In the back of my mind I can hear my mom saying, "Eat your green beans". Maybe she had to say that because I didn't like green beans when I was a kid. In winter often we had canned green beans which many times are mushy and bland. Lately though I find myself craving green beans. I could almost eat them for every meal. I couldn't wait for the farmer's market this year so I could get some white half runner beans which are a stringed variety.

For the beans this week I sauteed garlic and shallots in a little butter and olive oil. I put in beans and then chopped up fresh home grown tomatoes. I added one tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar and one tablespoon of organic sugar. While these were cooking I went to the garden and cut fresh herbs of pineapple sage, Spanish tarragon, marjoram, and chocolate basil. I stripped the herb leaves from the stems and cut them up with scissors into small bits. All was cooked till aldente.

Today I was wondering why I have a craving for green beans, and even more green beans. I had a bowl of cereal but was still hungry so I heated a bowl of green beans leftover from yesterday. Take a look at this chart I've borrowed on the nutritional value of the beans (click the link to read the chart; I am sure you'll be as amazed as I am at how good string beans are for your health). My string bean craving must be my body telling me there are vitamins I need in the beans. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Black Krim and Mourning Dove

The other day I had my first home grown tomato, a Black Krim. On the outside they look red but when you cut them open you can see the dark color in the flesh and seeds.

These are the first three tomatoes I picked. The flesh is splitting due to all the rain but it heals up and they are still edible. One is Cherokee purple, and the other is Black Krim. The yellow tomato I think it's Lemon Boy isn't that flavorful to my taste buds. The Cherokee purples and the black Krim are much better. I've found two horn worms so far and picked them off. I don't know how they find the tomatoes but they do.

 At the farmer's market this week I got these pattypan squash.

 I also got all of these shallots for three dollars. They'll last me a good long while.

We've become addicted to the white half runner beans. I cook them with onion, garlic and fresh tomatoes. They are so delicious. Even though I have to string and snap them the flavor is worth the trouble.

As we were sitting on the deck yesterday Gary spied this bird in the grass. He went down to take a photo and saw it was a mourning dove. I think it was taking advantage of the little bit of sun we had briefly. Hope you have a relaxing fourth of July. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Golden Tilefish

We've almost exhausted our fish supply from Florida in the freezer. The fish we had this week is Golden Tilefish. Now that I see how beautiful tilefish are I want to make a fish platter today. Tilefish are sometimes called clown of the sea due to their many colors.

Tilefish are long lived and slow growing. They feed mainly on crustaceans consequently their meat is very delectable to eat. Above are the fillets. Notice the needle nosed pliers in the photo.

I am using the pliers to remove the small pin bones in the fillet. Many folks say they use tweezers but the pin bones are deeply embedded in muscle and hard to remove without pliers. Place the fillet skin side down and feel along the thickest part of the fillet till you locate a pin bone, gently push back the meat and grab the pin bone end with the pliers and pull it out. You will feel resistance but pull firmly till the bone slides out.

Here I've served the tilefish with white half runner beans, peaches, raspberries and blueberries. I sauteed the tilefish in butter and olive oil. I cooked the half runner beans with garlic, sweet peppers and a tomato. The fruits and beans came from the farmer's market this week and the tilefish came from Florida on our last trip there. We appreciate being able to take advantage of nature's bounty with our meals. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Half Runner Bean Conversations

white half runner beans

What could be better than getting your food at the local farmer's market. That's what we did Saturday. We found tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, garlic, romaine lettuce, red Swiss chard, and more. We also found out we can visit some of the local farms to see how they grow their produce. 

The beans above are white half runner beans; a favorite of the Southern mountains. I spent some time snapping and peeling the strings from the beans. Later I sauteed some onion, garlic, and red peppers, then I added the beans and about a cup of water and cooked them till they were soft but mot mushy. Here are a few more items we got at the farmer's market.

 apricots and peaches

 tomatoes and white paddy pan squash

white cucumbers

It takes time to string beans and that's when conversations transpire. Gary and I sat at the kitchen table while I was stringing the beans and he was looking at the computer but much of the time we were talking about this and that. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.