# Green beans anyone?



## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Pictured is a 200 pound feed tub filled with this mornings' pickings of green beans...at least that many more on the vines. 

If my chief canner doesn't return soon, don't know what I'm going to do with 'em....and the corn is just about ready also. Bumper crops this year of everything but potatoes so far.


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## RAYSOR (Apr 26, 2007)

Wow!


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## Slip (Jul 25, 2006)

Oh my! I am only getting a few. Plants just don't look good this year either. Got a lot last year,mbut few this year.


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## Danny O (Apr 14, 2010)

Very nice!


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

Meadowlark said:


> Pictured is a 200 pound feed tub filled with this mornings' pickings of green beans...at least that many more on the vines.


Dang, I WISHED I had that harvest here!!! I love fresh green beans, but this is definitely not my year. You did extremely well & I'm jealous as heck!!!

























slip knot said:


> Oh my! I am only getting a few. Plants just don't look good this year either. Got a lot last year, but few this year.


Same here. Some things are doing WAY fantastic & others are not (beans are one of them)... We are still trying to collect enough of a meal.


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## Danny O (Apr 14, 2010)

Lookin' good MDLK!


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Slip Knot and W_R_,

What do you guys think has made this a bad year for your beans? 

It has been a strange year for me also in that my potatoes were a flop for the first time ever. Been growing them for 30 years and never seen this low production. 

Trying to figure out what happened? 

Also, my corn is now well over 6 ft high but looking like it is going to be very low on the production of ears. It's a strange gardening year for me. Very strange.


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

I'm at a lost to say it's any one thing (or two for that matter)... 

Our tomatoes, eggplants, peppers (japs & greens) are doing extremely well, squash zucchini, yellow, white, butternut & spaghetti are all going nuts (I'm feeding the excess to the cattle AFTER supplying our friends)... The cantaloupe & watermelon are just kicking in after a very slow start. The fig trees are loaded, as well as the oranges & limes.

All our beans are a flop this year & you've already seen my post on the 'Onion Failure of 2012'. Blackberries are looking dismal, as are the pears & peaches... The fruit is getting set, just not in the 'normal' abundance or growth pattern. I do know it's not a pollination, a nutrient or a water challenge...

Life in agriculture is what it is... Which is why we have accumulated a small fortune in canning supplies & always try to have 'reserves'.


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## Danny O (Apr 14, 2010)

This morning, we stopped to buy some onions from a local farmer in the Sandy Creek area of Lake Livingston. He said his Blue Lake green beans were blooming, but not producing. He planted them on the first of March. His potatoes were smaller this year. Selling onions and potatoes for $1 pound. Cucumbers and squash were excellent. Onions were nice, but below last year's average. Great stories too. Talked about his relatives owning the Cedar Creek area and riding on a wagon trail in the 40's. For those not familiar with the area, when Livingston was filled, Cedar Creek became a peninsula. It's a high-end neighborhood now.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

The chief canner showed up, thankfully, and turned that feed bucket into about 30 quarts of canned green beans....which will be mighty good next winter.


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## Gator gar (Sep 21, 2007)

If you get too many and they get out of hand, just let me know and I'll bring two or three pillow cases over and start thinning them out. By the way, those 30 quarts sure look good.


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## Blue.dog (May 8, 2005)

I have put up about 30 quart zip lock bags in the freezer so far.
I blanch them then put into zip lock bags.

I have not tried canning in glass Jars; however, I can a lot of jellys and figs and pears in Jars, so I'm familiar with the sealing process. What do you do prior to sealing for beans?

Is Canning in glass jars complicated?

B.D


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## Gator gar (Sep 21, 2007)

Blue.dog said:


> I have not tried canning in glass Jars; however, I can a lot of jellys and figs and pears in Jars, so I'm familiar with the sealing process. What do you do prior to sealing for beans?
> 
> Is Canning in glass jars complicated?
> 
> B.D


Here is what I go by. http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_04/beans_snap_italian.html


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

That's an excellent link...but I've found that 25 minutes is too long, makes the beans mushy....we go with about 19 minutes. 

Freezing is an option but to me they taste much better when canned. Frozen grean beans just don't hold flavor like canned ones, IMO.


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

I agree.


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## Gator gar (Sep 21, 2007)

Meadowlark said:


> That's an excellent link...but I've found that 25 minutes is too long, makes the beans mushy....we go with about 19 minutes.[/QUOTE
> 
> Obviously you're pretty confident that you won't have a quart of a low acid jar of botulism product on your hands. I thought the times were pretty much set in stone, I guess not. If you're not joking and are still here to tell it, then I might shorten my canning time, especially on purple hull peas. I canned some last year and they seemed to be way over cooked.


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## Tate (Aug 25, 2005)

I have had great success with the Derby variety green beans. They are prolific. I have 33 quarts canned so far plus several messes out of 90 sq. ft of space and they are still going. I need to pick again tomorrow. If you haven't tried Derby yet, do it. It is my goto green bean. I'm also growing Missouri Wonder pole beans. They are doing pretty good. I only have a small trellis for those and we ate a big pot last night with my brisket I smoked.

Tate


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## RiverRat1962 (Mar 23, 2009)

Meadowlark said:


> Slip Knot and W_R_,
> 
> What do you guys think has made this a bad year for your beans?
> 
> ...


Those beans look good ML.

My corn is poor this year as well. My melon patch and cukes developed a fungus called Anthracnose, Had to pull up and destroy all the cantaloupes and half my cucumber plants and a few watermelons and replant them. I don't like to do it but I've had to spray fungicide on the plants that are healthy to prevent spread of the fungus. Anyone else have that problem this year?

All my root crop plants are struggling, onions, garlic and green onions are very poor, I'm considering just plowing them under. Carrots are the only thing that seem to be fairing well. 40' row of Beets all just slivered and died, first time that ever happened. :0(


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## G-O-T-B (Jan 15, 2010)

My Onions and potatoes this year did pretty good. My squash has really struggled.


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## Mikeyhunts (Jun 4, 2007)

Im a new gardner, so all this reading is really helping.
Its so comforting to see that others have some difficulty on some items.
I am about to post some questions and pics for the panel.


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## Danny O (Apr 14, 2010)

MDLK,
We're catching up to you...


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

That's one small step for the groceries....and a big leap forward for gardening. WTG!!


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## txdougman (Jul 12, 2005)

Very nice! Those are great with some ribeyes and new potatoes!


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