As I mentioned earlier Saturday was a work day and after the automotive portion I moved on to garden activities. My Ford Hook limas, or butter beans, were starting to fill out and there were plenty of tomatoes and green peppers to pick. Three rows of beans netted around half a 13-gallon bag full of pods.

The toughest part about growing lima beans is shelling them and at present it looks as if I have my work cut out. Once we were back home and everyone was settled in I sat down with the wife and watched Into the Wild while I worked the produce. Sure it sounds thrilling, even a bit like my grandparents' idea of a good time, but in the end the reward is worth the effort. Like other forms of home grown produce these beans taste nothing like the bland, green tasting frozen variety and have a better texture than canned beans when they aren't over cooked.

Despite the fun I think I'll skip planting limas next year for two reasons. First this season has produced a bumper crop and I'll have all I need for the next two years. Second at the moment I'm the only person in the house who likes lima beans. The kids haven't tried them yet so I continue to hold out hope. The wife, on the other hand, I'm not so sure about. So far she's been reluctant to eat anything from the garden and I think that will continue to be the case until I can grow something that yields chocolate cake.

On second thought to heck with all of these heritage varieties.. I'm going to start a confectionery farm!