Rattlesnakes for Supper

The bush bean seeds I bought turned out to be pole beans. They just keep growing and vining, but produce no flowers. Desperate for fresh green beans, I raided the rattlesnake beans, which I grow for dried beans. They are also good as green beans, but are true "string beans," in that they have to be de-stringed.

They must be called rattlesnake beans because of the red mottling on the pods and the distinctive markings on the dried beans.



Raccoons raided our sweet corn just as the ears were maturing. Somehow those lazy critters know exactly when to check the corn. Dennis managed to salvage a few immature, but undamaged, ears.



The rattlesnakes became the basis for classic green beans almondine, somewhat altered by the addition of a minced shallot.



The corn ears were so long they wouldn't fit in the pot, so Dennis broke them in half. Seven minutes in boiling water and they were done, very tender, and sweet.



Dennis was, as always, pleased with our simple supper.


Afterward, we ate Blue Bell vanilla ice cream. I had chocolate syrup on mine. Dennis stuck with simplicity.