Back in the spring, I was able to put up quite a few jars of green beans. Then, the drought came. The vines quit producing, but with all my watering they stayed green. It felt cruel to yank them out, considering all the effort they were making to survive, so I just kept watering them all summer long. Now that the temps are a bit cooler . . . surprise! . . . they've decided to produce again!

Yesterday I was able to harvest a pretty big mess of beans. Since I was surprised by this and had already planned our weekly menu, I decided to can them. (Besides, I'm on a canning kick, remember?)

All cut up and ready to go!

Who knew? Three unexpected quarts of green beans for us to eat this winter.

Since three jars is hardly worth getting the canner out for, I decided to try my hand at some jelly, too. More on that failure in tomorrow's post!