Consider the Bean . . .

I had plenty of time to consider the bean as I sat on the porch, snapping off the little winged stem ends . . .

These purple beans are green inside -- and will turn green as they cook.

We had some for dinner -- sauteed in olive oil with red peppers, purple onion, garlic, and thyme (and what a difference thyme makes to a humble bean!) -- but the rest were destined for the freezer.

It's been a routine for the past thirty eight years -- blanch for 3 minutes . . .

Plunge into cold water to cool before bagging . . .

But there's a new element to the routine! I've always stuck the beans into plastic freezer bags -- sealed with a twist tie or a zipper lock. But John sent off for this device that . . .

 (drum roll)  . . .

Vacuum  seals!!!

I am the world's most skeptical about new kitchen devices  -- partly because of the lack of counter space in our kitchen and partly because of . . . I don't know, maybe just natural orneriness. But I have to admit that this gizmo works like a charm.

By excluding all the air, supposedly the freezer life of various foods is doubled or tripled. The picture below shows the ice that has formed on pepper rings put up last year. That shouldn't happen with the vacuum seal.

The literature that accompanied the device shows special jars and boxes and an attachment to vacuum seal them. One can, it says, seal all sorts of non-food stuff to protect it from oxidation, corrosion, and moisture -- silverware, matches, clothing, batteries . . .

And my imagination takes off -- picturing a thrifty homemaker, vacuum sealing her way through the house till everything is securely encased in airtight plastic, to preserve it . . .

She looks around . . . and notices that her beloved husband is really showing signs of aging . . .

I wonder, she muses, and reaches for the roll of plastic.   

 

Of Beans and Blogs . . . and Zucchini Too

Oh, dear, the beans are in. I picked on Sunday and somehow there were twice as many on Monday.

The slender tender beans on the right got steamed briefly and marinated with red onion slices, to accompany John's homemade pizza. The bigger ones got a three-minute blanching and went into the freezer.

And then there' was the zucchini -- the chickens got the biggest one; I grated two more to freeze for zucchini bread; and blanched some more to freeze for minestrone come winter.

And now, re blogs: Margie, of Margie's Crafts recently gave me the One Lovely Blog award. Check out her blog for great pictures of Ireland . . . and possible the cutest car I've ever seen. And thanks, Margie -- I love this kind of travel!

Closer to home, Sam of My Carolina Kitchen just presented this blog with the SPLASH award. Sam is a foodie and you should avoid her blog if you don't want to be stricken with immediate hunger. Right now she's got a recipe for seared tuna and Asian slaw that has me drooling. And the previous post is of a BLT that is as close to the Platonic ideal as they come. And the corn cakes a while back-- I've made them multiple times now . . . oh boy! Thanks, Sam, for the award and the calories!

And one last thing -- I had an email from 'a leading broker of internet advertising.' They would like, in exchange for an annual fee, to place an advertisement on my blog.

Yikes! I wonder what that annual fee might be? And what they'd be advertising? But I just replied that I wasn't interested. It would feel a bit like tattooing a big logo on my forehead.

Last night's pizza . . . with beans on the side.