Jack and the Bean Stalk

I tried something new this year with the beans. Instead of starting the seeds indoors in small six-packs, I just stuck a bunch of seeds in a wine barrel planter on the farm. I watched the beans grow taller and taller over the last 4 months. It's fascinating. Every time I water it, I think of Jack and the Bean Stalk. It's an English fairy tale, closely associated with the tale of Jack the Giant-killer. It is known under a number of versions. Benjamin Tabart's moralized version of 1807 is the first appearance in print, but "Felix Summerly" (Henry Cole) popularized it in The Home Treasury (1842), and Joseph Jacobs rewrote it in English Fairy Tales (1890). Jacobs's version is most commonly reprinted today and is believed to more closely adhere to the oral versions than Tabart's, because it lacks the moralizing of that version. (courtesy of Wikipedia)

My bean stalk

I remember reading the story as a kid and thought it was too bad that Jack has to chop off the bean stalk in order to kill the giant. Why does Jack has to kill the giant? Oh yea, he has to kill the giant because he's been stealing from the giant and he gets caught at the end! Hummm...what a strange story to tell little kids?! What is the moral of the story? That's kinda scary.

My lunch

Green Beans

It's becoming a tradition for me to grow green beans in late spring when snow peas season is about over. Green beans are easy and fast to grow. Occasionally I had some problems with aphids but I would still get plenty of beans.

For the last two years, I started the seeds inside of the garage, my other makeshift green house. This year I just planted the seeds outside in a half wine barrel. I covered it with a protective net for the first month just to prevend birds or squirrels to get in there to eat the seeds.


Once the beans start growing, you just need to water them about every other day or even a little less. In less than 3 months, you will have fresh tender beans to pick right from your garden. I love green beans for their versatility. You can blanch or steam them and sprinkle a little sea salt as a meal. If you like butter, add some butter.

You can stir fry them with some garlic, chili, and soy sauce. If you are really craving for some fat, you can coat them in buttermilk batter and deep fry them. They are so good that you can eat a big plate as a meal.