I have a favourite right now. A favourite vege bed. It is growing runner beans and sunflowers and its just beautiful to look at. I also have some very weak and unhappy watermelon, but I planted it late, and while my dad was looking after my garden while we were away it got a bit mistreated. So its a lost cause. The sunflowers and beans however are just giving all they can.
I have two different ‘types’ of sunflowers, but actually I guess its more. I used a mix of a ‘bronze sunflower mix’ packet of seeds and a mix from the ‘Diggers sunflower collection’ seeds. The current ones to flower are large and have multiple flower buds. I also planted two different types of beans. Some Lazy Housewife Beans, and Purple Runner Beans. Because as we all know purple is the new super food.
The sunflowers on this side of the bed are all bent over, because the bean frame is 6 months old and the wood rotted at the base and fell over the sunflower. We rebuilt it as best we could being the beans were totally entwined and righted the sunflowers as best I could. But even bendy they are beautiful.
You can just see the purple runner growing up the sunflowers. I do say it was a hope they would do this. The purple runner beans have purple runners, and green leaves.
You can see them entwined with the Lazy Housewife beans which have green runners but similar leaves. You can also see some of the purple beans almost ready for picking.
Goodness I love sunflowers.
These are a selection of the beans picked and trimmed ready for eating. The beans go really purple all over when ready for picking but you can pick them still speckled with green also. This haul was used on a raw vegetable platter. When you cook them they almost instantly go green and lose the purple colour.
Here they are that night. Eaten 2 hours after picking. Picked less than 10 meters from the table. We had them with the following (all raw except the cheese): broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, button mushrooms, cucumber, roma tomatoes, celery and babybel cheese. Served with freshly made rye sourdough and nuttelex spread. We dip it in ranch dressing and munch away. Its a really simple, really satisfying quick dinner to share.
