The Fair and Learning about Beans

The excitement is building here on the Panhandle as the Ag Fair approaches. I brought in my entry form yesterday and have reserved space in 7 categories. If I use four of them I’ll be lucky.
In the garlic category it is the Spanish Roja that is providing my contenders. They still have five wrappers on and I could afford to take one more wrapper off on Thursday morning to make them look a little tighter. There are four that are vying for the position.

I will no doubt get the 15 cherry tomatoes with stems. I looked at the competition last year and quite frankly I don’t know how they judge. They all looked alike to me.

This is the week that my cucumbers have chosen to take a curly shape, which will probably take me out of that category. And the zucchini have slowed WAY down.

Meanwhile, the garden is looking very spiffy this week as Anne and Esther have taken on weeding chores in some of the hottest weather of the summer. It looks splendid in all of the beds and after a good soaking today, I will mulch well with straw. The weather has turned much cooler and there is a breeze from the Northeast. I actually have a sweatshirt on.

The October Cranberry Beans are ready to harvest, I think. I only wish they had waited until October as I have way too much “harvest management” going on right now. It’s hard to tell about the Rattlesnake Pole Beans. They are supposed to harden in the pod, but several are withering.

Well I decided to check the Fedco Seed catalogue description and it appears I have missed the boat. These Rattlesnake Pole beans are NOT shell beans. They are pole beans meant to be eaten in the pod MUCH earlier than now. Oh dear. I will shell them and use them in soups nonetheless, but I don’t know how I missed the boat so totally on this one. Fedco does such a good job of categorizing things. I probably need to have them send me a hard copy of the seed catalogue next year and keep it open for reference.