My Favorite Vegetables Part Two: PEAS & BEANS

Last year was a great year for peas and a lousy one for beans. The peas joyously sprouted forth and multiplied while, later in the season, all my beans spent their summer pouting and whining.
I didn't grow any fava beans, which are a cool-weather European legume more closely related to vetch and are delicious, but an acquired taste for some. They probably did fine. Anyone who wants to comment, please do.

PEAS
Shelling: I grew three different varieties; one short-type normal-size pod that had high production (that I can't remember the name of); another short-type (laying-on-the-ground) with massively curly-cue tendrils that made it easier to find the pea pods but was pretty snarly (also no name); and "Petite Pois", a gourmet pea with delectable teeny-tiny peas that it takes a lot of shucking to accumulate enough for dinner (but delicious).
Keep an eye on your shelling peas when the pods begin to swell because they tend to start ripening all at the same time and there's a point-of-no-return at which they become chewy instead of tender.
Sugar Snap: I've tried both knee-high and telephone-pole types and the tall ones are definitely the best; higher production over a long period and nicer sized pea pods. For my money, the snap peas are the best of all the peas: productive (you eat the whole fat pod), super-sweet and delectable fresh or cooked and relatively easy to grow in decent garden soil.
Snow Peas: I always grow these for stir-frying. "Oregon Sugar Pod II" is the standard and is an easily trellised 30" tall. Snow peas are also eaten as the whole pod like sugar snaps but while they're still flat and are not super sweet which makes them better for savory cooking. Be sure to pick regularly to keep them producing and they will keep bearing for weeks.
Pea Shoots: These are all the rage recently and are found in heaps at farmers markets. Any pea variety can be used. Simply snip the tendrils off the plants and put in salads or stir-fries. Yummy! The shoots will keep growing back and cutting doesn't stop pod production. Last year, I grew some in a big pot just for the shoots.
Sweet Peas: these are the deliciously scented relatives of edible peas and they're also happy in our coastal climate. Oh, the fragrance is to-die-for! Find a place for some in your garden. They'll provide bouquets for weeks and weeks.
OTHER PEA TIPS (get it? ha, ha!):
Use a non-toxic slug-bait (beer, Sluggo, coffee grounds, or use a board to catch them sleeping. Sow peas thickly as they're happy living close together (and some will fall to the pests). Be sure to keep watered when the weather gets warmer. Plant groups of shelling peas every couple weeks apart if you don't want them all to ripen at once. If your peas don't germinate, do a little digging to see what's up. If they've rotted or disappeared, keep replanting. If you think birds are eating the seeds, you can make hardware cloth tents or some other netting to get them up and out of the ground without interference.


BEANS, THE MAGICAL FRUIT:
Beans are a  member of "The Three Sisters" Native American sacred triad of bean, squash and corn. Corn provides the trellis beans need to climb and is fed by the nitrogen-fixing bean roots and the squash rambles happily between the corn hills. Nutritionally in harmony, these three provide their gardeners with a complete nutrient alchemy above and below ground.
Runner beans, our only New World bean, is native to Mexico (Phaseolus coccineus).
Phaseolus vulgaris are the Old World beans most of us are more familiar with including: snap, filet, romano, horticultural and dry-shelling beans.
Soy beans,(Glycine max) have been an Asian staple for centuries. Lima Beans (Phaseolus lunatus) are kissing cousins with the other Phaseolus spp. Yard Long beans are a completely different species, Vigna unguiculata, which I have no personal experience with.
I'm using Latin here, not to impress, but to help point out the relationships between the different legumes called beans. It's a very smart thing in gardening to have some knowledge of where our food plants originate, which can help us provide the conditions of their native origins or eliminate those vegetables that prefer climates much different than ours.
Here in the Nehalem Bay area, not all the beans are happy every year, especially during cloudy, drizzly, misty, low-temp summers. All beans enjoy heat though some of them are better at dealing with cooler conditions. Last year was a very frustrating one for beans in the Permaculture garden at Alder Creek. It took forever to get good germination and then they grew slowly and fitfully. Yield was disappointing. Not everyone had the same experience in their own micro-climates but generally, I'd considered it a bad bean year. I hope this one is much better because I love beans.

Romano beans (Phaseolus vulgaris):
These are the large flat-podded Italian favorite and available as bush or climbing. I've grown both and love them short or tall. I don't have a favorite yet but I'm excited about growing an old Tillamook County variety that I was given at the last "Groundswell"  meeting (a new Nehalem Bay Area edible-gardening group). Members at the meeting also gave high marks to "Helda", a pole (climbing type) Romano available through Territorial Seeds. Romanos are meaty and delicious. They hold up well in soups like Minestrone. Romanos are available in green, gold or purple.

Snap beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) also known as green beans, string beans, pole beans, bush beans, French filet beans:
Almost everyone know the humble green bean. They also come in green with splashes of pink, solid purple or gold and a range of sizes; short bushes to 6' or taller climbing types. Reading garden catalog bean variety descriptions can leave the "Undeciders" considerably overwhelmed. Look for those with the shortest days to maturity and any that suggest they can take colder spring soils if you live near the coast.
I love any green bean, but I particularly like the French fillet bush beans for their succulent, slender, fast-cooking long pods. All the bush green beans are very productive if kept picked regularly before the seeds inside start swelling. All beans grown for their fresh pods need to be regularly picked before they start making seed to stay in production.
Climbing beans have tendrils which reach out for support  and wrap themselves around whatever is nearby, which the gardener should provide. Structures can be simple teepees (consisting of three or more, 6-10'  2"x2"s or Bamboo poles) to elaborate bean trellises with string or netting. They can also be grown up an existing wire fence. The important thing in our coastal climate, is to stake down or bury the lower part of the poles or trellises because we have been getting high winds clear up to early summer the last two years which can easily flatten a weak structure covered in vines. I made a teepee from long driftwood poles with the tree roots still intact which I buried in the sandy soil and this Herculean teepee has stayed up through two winters of winds up to 85mph.  Make your structure strong enough to carry the weight of many pounds of mature beans and their foliage.

Lima Bean (Phaseolus lunatus): I haven't tried to grow them, assuming these heat lovers wouldn't make it, but I was just informed by a close-to-the-farm neighboring gardener that he has grown them and they did fine. Try them but don't put all your hopes on just this one.

Runner Bean (Phaseolus coccineus):
In an interesting reversal of vegetables varieties that mostly cross the Atlantic to the U.S., Runner beans, native to Mexico, are loved more by the British than Americans as a superior green bean. The vines of the unadulterated original Scarlet Runner Bean can grow a vine 12' high and are gloriously covered in brilliant scarlet-red blossoms. The pods are flat, wide and heavily textured and can be eaten early at 5" or so, and are still tender and delicious at 9". The pods are meaty and crunchy with a more distinctive flavor than other green beans. They're also excellent fresh-shelled (allow the seeds to swell) for soups or a side of beans and can also be allowed to finish out into dried beans for seed or cooking. "Sunset" (peach-pink blooms) and "Painted Lady", (scarlet and white blooms) runner beans are not only gorgeous but with only 5-6' vines, are easier to acommodate on smaller trellises. I have been a great fan of these beans for years and they have more cold tolerance, especially during germination, than other bean species. I had some sprouting during spring that had fallen to the ground from the old pods the fall before.

French Horticultural (Phaseolus vulgaris):
I haven't tried these here. They are 65 days to maturity so may be a good bet in warm year. These beans are an Heirloom variety, semi-runner, fresh shelling and dry bean. I think it would be a good one to trial.

Dry Shelling (Phaseolus vulgaris): The year before last we experimented with growing dry bean in a couple places on the farm to see if it was a viable option for producing vegetable protein here on the coast. That year we had a good dry fall so beans matured and mostly dried on the vines then were picked in the pods, dried some more and shelled. I grew "Yin Yang" beans, which are beautiful black and white beany yin-yangs signs including the dots. I wasn't fond of their flavor or texture but you might be. I give them away to people as magic beans. Another bean that made it was "Jacob's Cattle". Last year I didn't even bother with them as the spring and early summer were obviously going to be challenging for heat-loving vegetables. The fresh pods of shelling beans are also good for cooking but it's probably better to let them hurry along to seed by letting the first beans rush to maturity. Choose the shortest season varieties to try. Most  varieties are bush types.

Edamame Soy Beans (Glycine max):
These are the salted beans served in the pod at sushi restaurants. We tried them in both the community and permaculture gardens the year before last and successfully had them mature. I can't say that the yield was impressive for the amount of space they took up but they were very tasty. They are mostly self-supporting but  a string stretched between tall stakes on either side of the row will keep them from going over in rain and wind.

Fava beans (Vicia faba): These beans are grown as a green-manure crop to add nitrogen to the soil and cut   down before making pods and dug in or left to break down on top. They are also grown for their delicious beans which are an Italian favorite for antipasto.They can be planted in the Fall or early Spring. The sturdy plants are self-supporting. I love their earthy flavor, especially sauteed with garlic, olive oil and herbs. These babies can take the cold and are a great fit for coastal gardens. A rare few people have a genetic allergy to these beans so if it's your first time trying them, have a small amount to start with.

My Favorite Vegetables Part One: SALAD VEGGIES

My goals as volunteer manager of the permaculture garden at Alder Creek Farm are; first, to feed myself and p-garden volunteers; second, to demonstrate to the public what a family-scale garden (using your typical front and backyard-size areas) could look like; and thirdly, to create an outdoor lab with ongoing experimentation in soil-building with local materials, field testing of food plants for reliability in coastal conditions, home and field testing of the taste-y-ness factor, pest/disease resilience, fuss-freeness, garden-play with egg-laying, slug-terminating ducks, growing a home pharmacopeia (herbs) and rocking your eyeballs with visual delights.
Herein is the list of vegetables that have passed muster after the above scrutinies.
It is by no means the last word on the subject. You can and should conduct your own trials. I merely aim to inspire. Get with your neighbors and trade vegetable secrets. Pass the knowledge on to your progeny so that they too will eat the best food possible.

LETTUCE:
Crisphead: "Summertime" (I like to add this for extra crunch in salads later in the summer when leaf lettuces are more lax)
Romaine: "Flashy Trout's Back" (Gorgeous), "Little Gem" ( a sweet mini-size)
Butterhead: "Tom Thumb", (another very tasty mini, good for a single-person salad, very fast growing; "Flashy Butter Oak" (my favorite of all the lettuces-beautiful green oak-shaped leaves, splashed w red, and its open form is less vulnerable to slugs)
Loose-Leaf: I love the reds..."Merlot", "New Red Fire"& "Sunset" (add excitement to any salad with these hotties)

OTHER SALAD GREENS (add to the above}
My faves: Arugula, Kale (baby, esp "Nero Di Toscana"), Spinach, French Sorrel, Radiccio, baby Swiss Chard, "Bulls Blood Beet" (young purple leaves), chives.

OTHER VEGETABLES:
Above-ground: Broccoli (love Purple Sprouting), Bulb Fennel, Cauliflower, Green Beans (steamed), tomatoes, 

EDIBLE FLOWERS (the visual and sometimes peppy pizazz)
Faves: Violas, Pansies, Calendulas (break apart), Borage, Chives (whole buds or full blooms broken apart), Garlic scapes, Rose petals, Nasturtiums and  Thyme.

ROOTS REGGAE (sliced, diced, shaved, grated, strips or whole)
Love: Carrots, Beets, Green Onions, Kohlrabi (technically, a stem), baby Potatoes (steamed) Radishes.

HERBS (the spice of life):
Golden Marjorum, Bronze Fennel, Dill, Cilantro, Parsley, Tarragon and Chervil.

Look for "My Favorite Vegetables" Part Two: Peas & Beans (Coming Soon)    
              

And the Winners are...

SMALL FRUITS FOR THE COASTAL EDGE
This is my third year as manager of the Alder Creek Farm permaculture garden, which is one of several garden projects within the Coastal Food Ecology Center here at the farm, on the north coast of Oregon on the Nehalem Bay.
Over time, I have found favorites among the fruits and vegetables; plants that are hardy enough to take the vagaries of our climate (high winds, low summer temps, salt, sandy soil, fog, rain, rain, rain, etc.), plants that produce very tasty produce and plants that have proportionately more output than input.
About seven years ago, "One Green World" nursery (www.onegreenworld.com) donated a generous selection of fruiting shrubs and trees which were planted and have been alternately nurtured and ignored.
I took over general care of the plants last year and have been grazing the fruits (my favorite way to eat them) during work breaks in the vegetable garden next to them.
Here's the list of what we have and my comments on flavor, suitability to our coastal climate and yield.
If you do not reside on the coastal edge (on the west side of Hwy 101) you may have a very different experience with these plants. If you live on the ocean side however, we may be of some help in your choices.

FIG: "Desert King": the tree is healthy and has managed to stay upright with staking but produces very little fruit; only a handful make it to ripening. If you have a sheltered place against a building with good sun, you may have better luck. It is a very pretty plant.

MEDLAR:  this is a weird fruit tree popular during the Middle Ages, with largish leaves that are easily tattered in the late spring wind. It bears odd brown fruits in November that are mushy when ripe and really do taste like spiced applesauce. Output is small but I really love the strangeness factor and flavor even if it's yield is small. (Winner of the strange fruit award)

COLUMNAR APPLES: "Golden Sentinel", "Northpole", "Scarlet Sentinel"; there is a surprising amount of fruit produced by these tiny trees and they are small enough to be integrated into the vegetable garden beds where ours live. Wormy apples are a problem, but that's normal around here. Definitely well worth having and their small profile can handle the wind better than larger trees. (Winner)

ARONIA: an American native berry shrub that produced an enormous yield last year but along with most of our other small fruits, was gobbled by a plague of Robins. Bird netting would allow the fruit to ripen in peace. It's not tasty to me fresh; is said to make great juice. (Winner)

CURRANTS: Black, Red, Pink and White; these plants are some of the best adapted to our fickle climate. High yield, mostly carefree. Last season I did see some kind of rust. They blow over in the wind unless staked or planted behind a wind barrier. The Robins ate all but the white ones, which I'm guessing they considered unripe from the color. Currants are tart and tasty for fresh eating or jellies, cordials and syrups. (Winner)

GOOSEBERRIES: we have one reddish-pink gooseberry and I love it! It's sweet enough to eat fresh, unlike the old varieties and bears heavily every year. Gooseberries are related to currants and have long, nasty, bird-discouraging thorns. If you don't plan on using bird netting on your fruit plants, I recommend these or Sea Berries as the fruits most likely to be ignored by birds. (Winner)

PINEAPPLE GUAVA: they bloom, but don't bear. The blossoms are pretty and edible. The plant itself is a very handsome rounded silvery-leafed evergreen. Perhaps if you live on the coast a bit further away from the shore it would be happier and bear fruit. A great choice for the edible/ornamental garden.

CORNELIAN CHERRY DOGWOOD: This is a shrubby member of the dogwood family that bears small bright-red, pear-shaped fruit. Ours look wind-beaten by summer and may have Dogwood Anthracnose. They've had modest production of fruit so far and are tasty to us and the birds.

HONEYBERRY: the fruit is somewhat like an elongated blueberry that hangs hidden under the leaves.These are my favorite grazing fruit. Last year I brought granola and milk to the garden in the mornings and picked enough for breakfast until the robins came and wiped them out.The smaller, rounder bushes we have, which bloom later, do much better than the one we have that is a tall, early type.
Honeyberry plants are very handsome and make great ornamental shrubs and are a good choice for edible garden designs where aesthetics are a priority. (Winner w/bird netting)

GOUMI: these are a member of the Eleagnus family that bear tart, tasty bright-red fruits. Ours haven't produced heavily yet. I don't know why. They appear to be less attractive to the birds.

ELDERBERRY: European (Sambucus nigra) & Blue Elderberry (Sambucus caerulea). The black elderberries bloom really well (great for elder-blossom wine) but fruiting hasn't been as predictable, possibly due to under-watering in the summer. We have sandy, nutrient-poor soil. This year we're adding cow manure and a heavy mulch of wood chips to all of our small fruits. Elderberries probably prefer better soil and more shelter from the wind than we have.
Last year I purchased a one gallon native blue elderberry (which grows up near the summit of the coast range and in the Willamette Valley). It's too early to tell if it will adapt to the coast. I hope so; I grew up with these and my mother made jelly and wine from them.

SEA BERRY: of all the plants, these seem to be the happiest in terms of growing big and sending runners everywhere through the sand. They are a nitrogen-fixing pioneer-type of species, good for poor soils, but they are, in our garden, somewhat invasive. So far, unimpressive production, but they have mighty thorns which prevent the robins from snacking on them. Yay! If only I can figure out how to set more fruit. They are supposed to be good in coastal climates. I'm going to move one of the male plants that popped up, over next to a lonely large female plant as they are wind pollinated. Maybe that will help. I love the tasty, nutritious, tart, citrus-flavored bright orange fruits. (Win yet to be proven)

QUINCE: these trees are planted in a more protected area of the large fruit orchard and are clear winners. Everything about them says yes, yes, yes! Beautiful form and leaves. Spectacular, large, delicious (usually cooked) golden fruits. No pests! No bird problem! And they like our climate! What's not to love? (Big Winner)

Many thanks to "One Green World" for their generous donation.

Alder Creek Farm is part of the Lower Nehalem Community Trust and is located at the end of Underhill Lane between Manzanita and Nehalem off of Hwy 101. Open to the public every day. Gardens are located within the elk-fenced area next to the barn.Visitors, volunteers and new members welcome.
For more information about LNCT and Alder Creek Farm go to: www.nehalemtrust.org

Maia de Gaia's Garden Design
Maia Holliday
Edible, Native and Ornamental
Garden Consultation and Design
maiadegaia@gmail.com