I am having limited success with growing vegetables. The cranberry beans are the star performers. The sweet purple asparagus is coming along as expected for a first year. The cow horn okra is growing tall and the pods are developing. My tomatoes have been disappointing so far. I am learning, and next year I will change where I plant them. The one summer I had a stellar crop they were planted in the ground and ignored. I might go back to that. You live and you learn, and some of us are slower than others, or more distracted.
On another topic–I am having success in my kitchen learning different cold lentil salad recipes. I also have been playing with a new air fryer. Wow! I made stuffed peppers and cooked them in the air fryer, and they were good. What a time saver.
Update 7/26/2026– Since I am new to growing these beans, I wondered what do I do with them now. I had read that fresh cranberry beans can be picked, shelled, and cooked. They are called cranberry shelly beans. The second option is to let them dry out on the plant and then shell them. Since these beans have hardened they are good for preserving, and when you want to cook them you have to soak them.
I decided I would make a soup with the shelled beans and add some of the golden lentils I had purchased at Mom’s Organic Market. Well, I will not go into all the details other than I made a soup with the cranberry beans and golden lentils. I added an Italian broth base, and added some gourmet Italian spices I had picked up at Sur La Table, and when the soup was ready I added some parmesan cheese. It is very delicious. Now, I think I just might keep picking the beans and cooking them this way.
movingforwardslowly 