Beans, Beans, They're Good For Your Heart... And They're Also Super Easy to Grow!

mmmmm...beans.  They are quite literally one of my favorite foods <3 and most versatile veggie.  You can saute them fresh in a stir fry, add them to a soup, dry them and make curry, chili, southwestern bean salad, or stuff them up your nose if you are a one year-old.

Bean plants growing in our Cornerstone garden
in Dunkirk.

Fortunately for us, they are also ridiculously easy to grow (and I'm hoping most of us have matured to the point where we don't care for sticking miscellaneous objects up our noses)!  Which brings me to the subject that I'd like to talk with you about, and that is...

TODAY IS THE DAY WE PLANT BEANS FOR THE SOUP KITCHEN!!!!! 

and then blog about it ^_^ mwhahahaha

So, truth is, is that I just got back in from planting beans (and peas) and completely forgot to take pictures that I wanted to show everyone! Argh, life, don't I have it hard?  Anyway!! Today was a great day to plant them because it's about to raaaaaaain! Why is this good? I will explain if you continue reading... if you give up on this blog post then you are a lost cause and NO BEANS FOR YOU!

Heirloom variety of beans gleaned from Greystone Nature Preserve
in Brocton, NY.  

I like bullets and numbers. I'm assuming you like bullets and numbers.  SO>>> Here is a 'how to' guide to planting beans using bullets AND numbers!

HOW TO PLANT BEANS (for dummies, or post-graduate students, or mothers, or over-ambitious, plant-killing fathers, or children who decide that their noses are in fact NOT a grand place to grow beans)

• 1.  Get yo' beans.  We glean all our beans from local, organic farms and nature preserves who let their extra beans go to seed.  Here at the Gleaning Project, we then have volunteers shuck the thousands of beans picked.  Beans that we don't plant are distributed throughout the county to food pantry, soup kitchen, community, and personal gardens.

• 2.  Soak yo' beans. It's good to let your beans soak in water for at least two hours before planting. This loosens up the skin and re-hydrates your sad, little parched bean friends.

• 3.  While your beans are soaking; Prep yo' soil!  Loosen up the soil with a hoe (or whatever) and draw lines with the end of the hoe (or whatever) about 2-inches deep and 8-inches apart.

• 4.  Plant yo' beans.  Drop your beans into the little baby trenches 6 to 8-inches apart then gently cover them with about 1.5-inches of soil.  

• 5.  Water yo' beans.  Soak 'em.  Like, super soak them. Soak them so much that you find yourself on the edge of an existentially crisis. Only then will you achieve inner peace, I mean, have your beans successfully planted.

TADA! Now get out and PLANT THOSE BEANS!!!!!  

You have until late June...

now GO!