Sunday, July 20, 2008

Leatherbritches

Howdy, You all,
I sat on my front porch this afternoon and broke and strung green beans to prepare for our supper this evening. As I sat there, breaking beans, tossing them into a pan, I started thinking about years past when I would help prepare beans for the winter. Sometimes, we would sit for hours, wielding a double-threaded needle, and thread green beans that had been broken onto the string, then they would be hung up to dry.
In the wintertime, we would then cook them to eat. They were called leatherbritches, or shuck beans. The name leatherbritches came from the fact that the green part of the bean would toughen up as it dried. I don't know who first called them leatherbritches, but the name certainly fit, didn't it? Have you ever eaten them? Or have you helped prepare them for the winter?
Speaking of supper, I also fixed some summer yellow crookneck squash, boiled some white potatoes, and sliced tomatoes from our little tomato patch out back of our house. I sliced some fresh cucumbers, and baked some corn meal muffins, and we had a meal fit for a king.
Imazo's sister provided us with the green beans, squash, cucumbers, and a head of cabbage fresh from her garden. Thank you, dear friend!
Well, that is all for today from Blabbin' Grammy! It has been a long day, and I really must say good evening. Love to all of you for now. Blabbin' Grammy signing off.

2 comments:

Judy said...

I have never had green beans that way. We always froze them or canned them in jars. Your meal sounds wonderful with all the fresh vegetables.

Clara....in TN said...

I have heard of leatherbriches, but have never eaten or strung them. I can remember my grandmother doing them when I was really young. Your food sounds so good. That's my kind of eating!