When we got home Sunday the garden was dried out and overrun – I mean a jungle – of grass as tall as me.  The only thing coming out of the top was a huge mass of pole bean vines.  I thought those died before we left and the squash was taking over, but, OK!  I’ll take it. 

After diggin in and out today I discovered that the eggplant is alive and struggling, some butternuts are growing but tiny, and this incredible bean pole is a shrub.  Anyway, I picked off one of the old dried shells to see if it was the sweet pea or snap pea that I planted and here it this PURPLE lima bean!  I almost cried!!  When we were in Kentucky last year and visited the Shaker village one of the shaker men gave these three precious little beans to Zoe.  We brought them home and she kept them in her collection for a while and then on the counter.  I guess I plopped them into the ground before we left…don’t even quite recall doing it…but there they are!!!  These are some kind of old heritage heirloom variety that have done incredible through 2 months of drought in my completely untended garden.  All of a sudden I felt a connection with those pioneering Kentuckian’s of the past. 

Anyone read the Food Ark Article in last months National Geographic? I’m a believer!

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/07/food-ark/siebert-text/2