Beans, sauerkraut and carrot soup

The Mexican bush beans are starting to dry out and we harvested the early ones last night. Most could still use a few days of drying in the window. It is exciting to collect our own seed each year. The scarlet runner beans are are a ways from harvest but it should be impressive when it happens--the one plant we have has dozens of pods, each nine to twelve inches long!

Joining the beans on the window ledges are many, many paste tomatoes (about half shown below). Most I have hauled in green to keep them from the slugs. The gradual reddening of the window sill bodes well for a canning spree next week. And I'm hopeful to get a second batch of cider started next weekend as well, having racked off the first batch this week.

I'm also trying a second batch of sauerkraut in the cupboard after I was inattentive with the first batch.

I'm continuing to spend a lot of time in the yard getting the beds reorganized and ready for next year. Fortunately Jessica is picking up the slack in the kitchen. Yesterday she made carrot soup exclusively with stuff from the garden (and a small bit of ginger). This weekend I'm thinking another batch of borscht and perhaps drying some beet leaves.

We'll be doing a bit more work this weekend as we slowly lift the potatoes and empty the carrot beds. Jenn blanched and froze a dozen cups last weekend but we're tight on freezer space until I move the cidering apples out next week.