Half-runner beans hold a long tradition in Appalachian gardens, where they are prized for both flavor and practicality. These plants produce modest vines that benefit from light support, falling between bush and pole types in growth habit. Often harvested young as snap beans or left to mature as shelly beans, many traditional half-runners retain the old-fashioned strings that Appalachian cooks consider well worth the effort. Valued for their productivity and heritage character, half-runner beans remain a staple of mountain seed saving and kitchen tables.
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Hand pollinating corn—it sounds complicated but in reality, it's surprisingly simple. Whether you're looking to improve kernel fill on your sweet corn planting or want to get into seed saving, we're laying out everything you need to know to perform your first hand pollinations.
Sunscald—few things are more frustrating to gardeners than watching a perfectly good tomato get burned just before harvest. But did you know that the varieties most susceptible to sunscald happen to be some of the best-tasting ones? In this week's post we're exploring what causes sunscald and how you can prevent it without sacrificing flavor.
Are green shoulders bad? This week we're flipping the script on this so-called flaw to expose the truth behind green shoulders—what causes them and why they're often a sign of good things to come. Join us as we move beyond appearances to explore the roots of really good tomato flavor.
