A few weeks ago, I picked a bunch of scarlet runner beans and my daughter and I worked on shelling them. We were delighted to discover such unusual and vibrant colors!
I didn’t get around to cooking the beans for several days and they became more of a mauve and indigo as they dried. I found a recipe to use the beans with our kale that’s served over polenta with parmesan. It was really tasty and satisfying! The beans retain some of their purplish quality, but look a bit more ordinary when cooked. The nice thing about the beans being so freshly picked was that I soaked them for a couple hours and they only took about 30 mins. to cook. Here’s the recipe I generally followed: http://www.hivequeen.com/2012/10/scarlet-runner-beans-tomatoes-polenta.html
Our heirloom tomatoes are just starting to ripen. I used this first bowlful to make a fresh tomato basil and feta pasta based on my old friend Amy’s recipe. (guess I was hungry because I forgot to photograph it!)
Last night, I finally picked a bunch of our huge collard leaves and cooked them down with onion, chicken broth, and Italian chicken sausage (a great dish with andouille sausage if you like a little more spice). A small stroke of genius led me to make a batch of fried green tomatoes as a side dish using the handful of tomatoes that I’ve accidentally knocked off the plants while pruning. I think my sister Lily and I made a similar dinner while visiting our grandparents in Georgia last year. And I didn’t even need recipes for these dishes to come out nicely!
The Orchid Bog 
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