I am still on vacation. THis is the first time I have had to get online. I noticed the original Bean thread is full, so I thought I should start part 2. I have not gotten to my emails yet, so if any of you have tried to contact me, give me a little time to get back to you! Thanks!

Participants

bonechickchris~Christy
dirtdiggin~Toni
booberry85~Becky
sunnyk~Donna
highalttransplant~Bonnie
gardenmom2~Nichol ?????
grymntl~Bruce
tormato~Gary
sugarshane1313~Jim
sassybutterfly 2008~Wendy
dem pa~Don
Daniel aka dirtdiggin Jr.
luvgardening2/Nancy
remy
arroyogardener/Jamie
reynal/Danny

I did recieve Wendy's seeds right before I left town! Zebraman has left the swap, and I still have no answers from gardenmom/Nichol. I assume she is out also.

I will try to check in again! I will be home Friday! Then time to sort all the beans!!!!
Christy

I see one bean (from Part 1) that I'd like to try, Marie Amazilitei's.

Will there be a list to choose from?

Gary

I think that's the list. If you end up wanting anything from my list and don't get it, just send me an email.
Remy

I am home! Already started sorting the beans! I hope to have them back out to you within 10 days.

Gary, can you send me an email? I cannot seem to email you through GW. I will make sure that you get the Marie A. beans! Since there are so many beans, and some I have lots, and some only a few, I do not want to make a list on the forum and have to choose who to give certain beans to and who not to and possibally hurt someone's feelings if I chose someone else to get the beans instead of them. Does that make sence?
Anyway, Gary, I know you sent me in A LOT for the swap. So please privately email me and I can see what I have that you would like that came in that you do not already have. I will work extra hard to go through the beans for you since you sent in so many for everyone!

Also, anyone who has not updated their trade list, please do with any beans that you would like if I have them. I will be taking the time to look at EVERYONE's Trade List to try and give everyone something they really want. I also will look at wish lists that were sent in with the beans too. I don't just throw beans in an envelope, and really try to make everyone extra happy! :)

For that reason, that is why it may take me 10 days or so to get them back in the mail. But I do not think it will be that bad this time. I did the tomato swap in January with almost 50 participants with thousands of tomato packs and requests and it was insane! LOL! But I got through it, so the bean swap will seem more like a piece of cake to me!

I will keep you all posted! Christy

GARY! Email me!!!!

Just checking in! I am still waiting for a special batch of beans to come in that have some or your requests in them. They should be here in the next day or so.

Gary, are you there? Can you email me?
Thanks! Christy

I have been busy on all of your envelopes. I thought I would send them all out at once, unless you do not mind me sending them in batches. I just do not want people to be upset in the order that I send them back out, although I would try to send the first senders out first. So you guys let me know what you want.

I also just got another extra batch of beans this weekend, so I was waiting for them and glad they got here!

Yeah, don't get all quite here on me! LOL! It would be great for us all to share some recipes for us to try out are beans with!

I have a recipe for a 3 Bean Cassarole (although it has turned out to be like an 8 bean cassarole over the years! LOL!)
ANyway, out of all the things I have made my whole life, I would have to say that people want the recipe to this cassarole most, one of the most requested recipes that I have ever made. And with that, and also a bunch of us bean freaks, I am sure it will be yummy to you all!
The only thing is, is that I am the type of cook that hardly ever measures, I just put it together with my eyes. So, I will have to search to see if I have the original recipe to write down first, unless you guys are like me, and do not need exact measures.

It is really easy too! I will try and find it, if not, I will just write out how I do it!
Christy

Bean Soup

I love bean soup. You can alter the recipe to suit your tastes or for what you have on hand. This can be made in a stock pot or thrown into a crock pot. Serves 6-8.

Ingredients

2 cups mixed dried beans (any combination of great northern, navy, black, pinto, red beans, lentils, garbanzo and or split green pea)
2 tablespoons salt
2 quarts water (8 cups)
2 cups diced ham, kielbasa, or other smoked sausage
1 large onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 - 28 oz can tomatoes, diced
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice

Rinse beans, place in a large pot and cover with water and soak overnight. Remove any floater beans. Drain. Add two quarts of water again and simmer for 2 hours. Remove ½ cup beans and mash; return to pot. Add onion, garlic, celery and carrot and simmer for another hour. Add ham or sausage, tomatoes, chili powder, salt and lemon juice and simmer for another ½ hour.

Hope you like it!

I do sauteed green beans like this:

Saute as many green beans as you can eat in a little olive oil....add as much mined garlic as you like and let both the beans and garlic get a little brown on them....sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste...add a hint of crushed red pepper...and finish with a drizzle of really good Balsamic vinegar....yum!

Ok, so not really a recipe, but I wanted to play too...LOL!!!

OK, this recipe was quiet tasty, but I tend to add a little more hot peppers to the mix, oh and I almost never actually soak slow cooked beans, they may take an extra half hour to cook, but I don't have to chop the firewood. (Sub with any bean of course, I like this one with half Great Northern and half Black Turtle Beans.)

Ingredients

* 1 pound dried Great Northern beans
* 1 pound bacon, chopped
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 jalapenos, chopped
* 1/4 cup tomato paste
* 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
* 1/4 cup molasses
* Vegetable broth
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1 teaspoon black pepper
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt

Directions

Heat oven to 250 degrees F.

Soak beans in a plastic container overnight in just enough cold water to submerge them completely.

Place a cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat and stir in the bacon, onion, and jalapenos until enough fat has rendered from the bacon to soften the onions, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, dark brown sugar, and molasses.

Drain the beans and reserve the soaking liquid. Add the drained beans to the Dutch oven. Place the soaking liquid in a measuring cup and add enough vegetable broth to equal 4 cups of liquid. Add the liquid to the Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Add in cayenne, black pepper and salt. Give them a stir and cover with the lid. Place the Dutch oven in the oven for 6 to 8 hours, or until the beans are tender.