Bean Harvest

We have enjoyed a long stretch of dry, sunny weather this October. But it is due to end next week so tonight after work, I harvested my "Poletschka" Dry Pole Beans.

It truly is amazing that I had anything to harvest at all. I started by planting bean seed this Spring. A vole pulled down over 1/2 of the seed and ate it. Then I replanted with young bean transplants. When they were about 12" tall, a rabbit came in and chewed off all of the vines! Amazingly the plants slowly recovered and sent up new vines. The rabbits stayed away for over 6 weeks and I thought all was well. But then a rabbit struck again in September and chewed off over 1/2 of the plants. Needless to say, that didn't leave me with a lot to harvest tonight.

Each dry pod held 7-8 shiny black beans. I sat on the back patio in the waning evening sunshine and quickly worked though all of the pods. I ended up with just short of one 1/2 cup full of beans. They weighted in at 3.1 oz. Thankfully, we don't have to live on that harvest this Winter!