Ken’s grandfather (Ken Sr.) has a saying for everything. One that particularly stands out at this time of year is “knee high by the 4th of July” which for all not in the know refers to the corn. It also reminds me that summer is already half way through! (“By the time the wheat is in head the summer is half done”) I realize that for most, it feels like it just started, the kids are finally out of school and most are embarking on holidays or road trips to beaches and festivals and all of the fun that the summer holds. For us however, it really feels like it is more that half way through as the strawberries conclude, the raspberries ripen and the wheat turns from the grassy green to a golden hue almost over night.
View of the wheat field from behind our house.
Don’t get me wrong, we’ve already had a ton of fun but for me, one of the glorious treats that summer brings is fresh bounty from the garden. The kids and I have been enjoying making fresh raspberry jam and my absolute favourite…yes I’m going to say it…pickled green beans!
Grant and Lilly "helping" make jam.
The finished product.
I know, you all expected me to say something about strawberries or raspberries but the truth is that while those have their merits, I’m a sucker for anything savoury. Salty over sweet any day. Jams and all of the other goodies have their rightful place but give me a jar of pickles and I’m in heaven! You can check out my favourite recipe for pickled green beans on our recipe page.
Just waiting to be pickled.
Another thing that I love to do with fresh beans, besides just eating them raw, is to quite simply put a splash of oil in a pan (or butter if I’m feeling in the mood), chop a couple of cloves of garlic and a tomato or two (you could also use a handful of small cherry tomatoes) fry the lot in the oil for a minute and then toss in a handful of green or yellow beans and saute until the beans are tender crisp. A dash of salt and pepper to finish and I’m in heaven. Even the kids love this one! If you’re feeling really fancy, a handful of chopped herbs would also go nicely here.
I also try to get a few bags of beans and peas blanched and frozen so that we can enjoy them in December when we are sick of cold weather and can pull out a bag of summer’s bounty…and maybe treat ourselves to a smoothie made with some of those frozen berries too!