Bounty

Dear Mom,
Our nearly idyllic summer is evident in the produce I am harvesting from the vegetable garden. On Saturday I went out to check things, as I do daily, and found green beans that had either grown over night or had been hiding themselves under the healthy, bushy plants.  I easily picked over a pound of beans and could probably pick another pound today.

I have also been experimenting with growing potatoes. My potato tower did not do so well last year, but it wasn't a good summer for growing anything. I decided to ignore last year's poor showing and try again. This time I planted in the ground, in my compost bin ( a potato tower of sorts) and in a flower pot. The seed potato bag said the taters would be ready for harvesting when the vines yellowed and started to wither. That pretty much described the condition of the vines in my compost bin, so after harvesting the beans I overturned my compost can and was thrilled to discover the most beautiful red potatoes! I was scrabbling through that dirt like Scarlett O'Hara did in when she was starving and found a carrot in the soil. - Right before she declares that she will "never go hungry again". I could almost hear music playing in the background.

this is not my hand
this hand belongs to Brother

I will let the potatoes keep growing in the ground and in the big flower pot- the vines there haven't started to die back yet. Needless to say, we had potatoes and green beans for dinner Saturday night!

I found a very delicious recipe in a special publication by Taste of Home magazine. This issue is dedicated to Diabetic cooking. I purchased my copy late in the spring and don't know if it is still on the newsstands. I tried out this green bean recipe last night and it was delicious. I filled my plate and made it my entire dinner.

Green Beans Provencale

1 lb. fresh green beans

4 green onions, sliced

2 T. minced shallot

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 t. fresh rosemary, or 1/2 t. dried rosemary, crushed

1 T. olive oil

1 1/2 c. grape tomatoes, halved

2 T. minced fresh basil, or 2 t. dried basil

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

Place beans in a steamer basket and steam in a large pot of boiling water for 4-5 minutes or until crisp tender.

In a large skillet, saute the onions, shallot, garlic and rosemary in olive oil until vegetables are tender. Add the beans, tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Saute 2-3 minutes longer, or until heated through.

Love,

Kim