re: Beans, beans good for your heart...

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Brown a little onion and garlic in some bacon grease, sprinkle in a little bit of flour, stir it around. You’re not really making a “big” roux, just a little browned flour in the grease. Add the baby green limas (frozen is fine), plenty of water (or stock) to cover, salt, cayenne pepper or hot sauce, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cook for 20 mins, add fresh shrimp (small) and continue cooking for about 5-10 minutes until shrimp are done.

If you want to use dried shrimp, add them to the pot with the water.

I have a 70’ row of Blue Lake green beans, row of pole Lima’s in now. Row to the right is red potatoes. I will put speckled butterbeans in the empty row on the left probably in the next week. I do the same on the back porch, snapping and shelling and think of my mother and grandmother. Spacing them out gives me plenty of quiet time to ponder throughout the summer evenings.



And sometimes I’ll even cook green beans like they did, snapped with onions, potatoes, bacon and cooked for hours on low-old Southern country style.

Then I pull out the cast iron skillet passed down for cornbread use only, make a pan and go back in time.

My Dad has been growing them the last few years. I am pretty sure he is buying the seed from a place in St. Amant. I will have to find out the name for sure.

I used to grow a purple green bean that was the best bean I have ever eaten. It had a natural smokey taste and was never stringy. I got them from Dodge City Farm Supply in Denham but I lost the bag with the variety on it and cannot duplicate those damn things for the life of me. They were long, about 8-10", and a bush variety, if anyone might have a clue.

It’s probably a purple queen. I’ve never planted but my neighbor had them last year and man they put out. They are Bush beans.

LINK

Go to Whole Foods in the bulk aisle they have a bunch of different good ones. I’ve cooked yellow eyes, cranberry beans, adzuki, all the different lentils.

Same aisle buy some different grains, buckwheat, barley, Farro, kahmut, wheat berries.

Try the different grain with different beans instead of just rice. Cheap, good and just a different option. If you don’t like it well...it’s just beans and grain. Pitch and order a pizza.

Pick a grain and make a savory porridge with the beans. I make one with Farro and use chicken stock and shredded chicken with black eye peas.

That’s living.

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Yes indeed to green beans cooked with potatoes, esp new potatoes. A staple of public school lunches in south LA during my childhood, and an all time favorite of mine. Awesome with fresh beans, still pretty darn good with frozen French cut beans. Side of cornbread, please.