Peas and Beans paradise!

Nico - Picking her 5th bin of English Shelling Peas!  Go Nico!

It's a legume lovers paradise on the farm right now!  Yesterday we (or actually Nico, the pea picker extraordinaire...) picked 115 lbs of English Shelling Peas!  Plus over 100 lbs of assorted green beans!

Wowser! 

So what do we do with so many peas and beans!  Eat them!  Can them!  Freeze them!  Pickle them! 

Peas and beans are one of the "staples" of any summer garden, although I would like to point out that most places can't grow decent peas in late August!  That's thanks to our cool Pacific Northwest weather which, while it may be the bane of sunbathers, kind work in your favor in regards to cool weather loving veggies.

If you haven't had English Shelling Peas, well, they are one of the things that garden memories are made of.  There is just about nothing as good as eating a sweet and tender freshly shelled pea at the perfection of ripeness.  And having a hard time getting your kids to eat veggies?  Well, shelling peas are just about 100 percent foolproof for kid fascination.  First, they are like a little present.  They get to open them!  Then, they are a math problem.  Count how many peas!  Then...they are a tasty treat.  Umm...sweet!  It's not wonder kids (and parent's) love them.
If you don't get around to just eating fresh all your shelling peas...well, shelling peas are fabulous frozen.  Just a quick blanch in boiling water and then pop them in some freezer bags and come December and January - all the sweet essence of summer stored in your freezer.

As for beans...well, who could go wrong with beans?  We picked four kinds - all our favorites.  The gorgeous Purple Podded, the sexy Yellow Wax, the diminutive Dwarf Haricot Vert, the outrageous Dragon Langerie.  We love them all! Come check them out along with our recipes for pickling and four bean salads!

And of course, we have much more than peas and beans at the market today.  Things are really growing right now...So come check out the bounty at Bayview and Coupeville markets.

From Willowood (in addition to a couple 100 lbs of peas and beans...):
- Potatoes!  Multiple kinds including fingerlings, Maris Pipers, Romanze, Carola and Mountain Rose!
- Garlic! Garlic! Garlic!
- Chard
- Kale
- Collards
- Onions - three kinds!  Torpedoes, Ailsa Crag (big sweet onion) and fancy-schmancy cippolinis!
- Leek bunches!
- Summer zucchinis
- Cabbage!

From our friends at Prairie Bottom Farm
- Tromboncino summer squash
- Kohlrabi (Coupeville only)
- Cooking onions
- More potatoes and garlic
- Scallions
- Lettuce mix
- Beets
- Carrots!

Turkeys in the beans!  Naughty Turkeys!

And finally, a gratuitous Turkey photo!
See you at market!
Farmer Georgie
Willowood Farm of Ebey's Prairie