MORE BEANS: Rocco Camas of Bradford shared some different reasons for why some people grow pole beans.
Rocco explained the old Italians would grow a special kind of bean, the Kentucky Wonder. These beans grew to be around 8 to 10 inches long — bigger than the bush bean.
“They opened up the beans like they do with peas, and they dried the beans out,” Rocco said.
The beans could be thrown in water to soften them up, cooked and used in dishes such as soup or pasta e fagioli. Drying them out meant they could be used all winter.
“They were a good tasting bean, too,” Rocco tells us.
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SUMMER POETRY: Frances Haight of Kane has again shared some of her poetry with us. We pass along some poems for our readers to enjoy.
A SUMMER RAIN
A warm, gentle summer rain
Began to fall that day,
The neighborhood kids all ran
To put on swimsuits to play.
We chased each other,
And splashed with water,
We ran and screamed
As we felt the rain fall harder.
Up and down the street we went,
Laughing at every drop,
We even enjoyed the mud puddles
And then we had to stop.
It was time to go home
So we went there to change,
But what a fun day
With play in a wide range!
A summer rain is special,
It takes away all your troubles,
And as we rubbed our hair to dry,
We even saw some bubbles!
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THE FIRST DAY
Off came the shoes,
Off came the socks,
My toes felt so good,
Except when on the rocks.
I wiggled my feet,
And had a big smile,
It felt like I could
Even walk a mile.
Yes, I stubbed my toe,
Sometimes I got a sliver,
But splashing through the puddles,
Felt better than a river.
We ran barefoot all summer,
As much as we possibly could,
We went everywhere with no shoes
And it felt so very good!
