The Bean Yurt

Part of my obsession with beans has to do with the structures I build for them and any other vining vegetable–cucumbers, squash, melons, and gourds to name a few.  I’ve loved figuring out ways to build trellises from pretty much any kind of material that works, from bamboo to fallen branches, from hog wire to store-bought garden poles. I have always been inspired by the structures I saw when growing my first garden in the community plots at Buckeye Village, the married-student housing complex at Ohio State University. The residents there were from all over the world–China, Korea, Uganda, Hungary, and on and on, and the field where we had our plots was a real patchwork of global gardening, with all manner of vegetable and structure. Given that space was an issue, the trellis-system was practical, since training plants to go up conserves valuable ground. I’ve gardened with that philosophy since, and train anything that climbs up on an evolving system of trellises. Last year for some green beans I used a commercial bean trellis, a conical structure, which worked well, until the vines hit the top, grew together, and kept twisting and entwining themselves into an almost impenetrable mass. I still harvested pounds and pounds of beans, which got me to thinking this winter that, with the right kind of structure, I could grow even more in the same space. This spring I tilled a new area in my yard for gardening, one part of which was a circular area, about 11-12 feet in diameter. The shape inspired my idea to build a circle of vertical poles around the edge of the circle, with the conical structure right in the center, so that the beans would have plenty of space. I used jute twine to complete the trellis and secure the structure, and planted beans at the base of the outside poles, as well as around the conical structure in the center.

The bean yurt was born.

Over the past months, the beans have grown and filled in the structure better than I could have imagined, and it’s a pretty cool space to hang out while picking beans. And training the vines? Therapeutic.  The yurt also makes harvest a breeze, because you can see and reach everything. We’ve started picking, and it’s clear that the bean harvest is going to be hard to keep up with. I’ve got two types of beans in the yurt, a blue lake green pole bean, and a yellow bean called Gold of Bacau–a bean I grew last year that grew wonderfully. I got the beans from Seedsavers last year, and let a bunch grow until dry last fall, to save some to grow this year. The plants are the same as last year–vigorous and heavy producers of long, flat yellow beans. They are too thin to be boiled or steamed, and are best eaten in a vegetable stir-fry on the grill (recipe follows). They also work well with an Asian inflection.

Mixed Vegetable Grill with Gold of Bacau Beans

1 pound of Gold of Bacau beans (or any flat frying bean), cut on bias in 1-2 inch pieces
8 ounces  mushrooms, quartered
one or two sweet peppers (any colors will do), sliced
I small zucchini, cut into slices or large dice
Small red onion, sliced
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
fresh herbs (basil, parsley, oregano, thyme)

Toss all vegetables in bowl with garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Put vegetable grill pan on grill, get it very hot, and then add vegetables, and stir-fry, cooking on high heat and mixing frequently to cook vegetables evenly. Once they are cooked (they should be firm, but cooked through), put them in a bowl, add fresh herbs, salt and pepper to taste, and serve in the same bowl, or on a platter, garnished with halved cherry tomatoes, or slices of heirloom tomatoes.  You could also top with parmesan cheese, or crumbled feta cheese. And don’t be afraid to use or add (or omit altogether) other vegetables–the key is to use whatever is fresh, and use the method from the recipe.