Steven Helmer Publications

I decided to pick up some pork steaks for dinner tonight and, since I needed a side dish to go with them, stopped off in the baked bean section. I originally planned on just buying a brand I was familiar with but, remembering how much I enjoyed the Sweet & Spicy Chipotle Pinto Beans from this brand, I ended up buying the cracked pepper beans instead ($1.99). I had them with dinner, as planned and, unfortunately, they just weren't as impressive as I hoped they would be. I didn't think this would be the case but, for a product that advertises cracked pepper, I actually thought these beans were a bit bland. I'm not saying they didn't have some flavor to them but there was definitely nothing about them that didn't remind me of any other baked bean I've purchased. In other words, the chipotle beans had a memorable taste (and worked great in chili). These didn't. These are a bit more expensive than the other brands of beans I had to choose from and, because o...

  I decided to make sloppy Joes for dinner tonight and, while at the grocery store, figured baked beans would be a nice complement. I happened to notice these beans on the same shelf and, while they were about 60 cents higher in price ($1.99), I ended up picking them up instead. Overall, I have to say I was happy with the purchase. The beans had a good flavor to them, there was enough spice in it to give them a kick but not too spicy. They paired nicely with the sloppy Joes as a result. I am actually interested in purchasing these beans again the next time I make chili. I think they would add a little something extra to it that normal pinto beans/kidney beans don't. However, regardless of how that works out, I would purchase these as a side dish for future dinners too. If you haven't tried them, I'd recommend doing so.

I'm not sure if this will work or not, but I had these Christmas deer next to my house and, mostly because I didn't want to carry them up the ladder into the attic, I decided to re-purpose them and try to use them as a fancy trellis. I staked them in and planted pole beans around the legs. My hope is the beans will wrap around the wire and still produce while looking kind of cool. I also decided to try a couple new things in the garden this year. I am planting garlic and black beans, two things I've never attempted to grow before.

It's not much, but I managed to get some out of my garden today (mostly peas and green beans). Considering we've been getting so much rain and cool weather, I'm willing to take what I can get this year.