Unexpected Gift

 Yesterday, just after lunch, the doorbell rang.  We weren't expecting anyone, and as John answered, he told me that it was the guy that we have hired some in the past to  help with the garden and cutting the grass. 

After talking with him for awhile, John came back in the house holding 2 big, heavy bags.  This man had given us a big bag of potatoes and an even bigger bag of habas.  I was shocked. He came by just to give us some of the food from his fields as a way of saying thank you. 

Now, for those of you that don't know what habas are, well, John always calls them Lima Beans on Steroids.  They are huge.  But they don't exactly taste like lima beans; they are kinda sweeter.

Then, our dilemma was what to do with all of those beans!!  Who could we give them to? We would never eat that many on our own!

 What about freezing some beans? Or canning some?  Well, I have a tiny freezer. I mean, the refrigerators are smaller here than they are in the states. MUCH smaller. There isn't much room in there for anything. 

I then decided to call my mother-in-law to ask her advice on canning beans, and after talking to her I was sure that it wouldn't be too hard and we were going to try it. 

 It was actually REALLY easy!!  Plus, my

 wonderful hubby did all the hard work in shelling them all. :)

We had some habas for dinner last night and still have some left over. I also canned 5-quart size jars and so now we will have a few more "easy" options for sides for a few meals.  And they are yummy!

The finished product! I think the sound of the lids as they "pop" and seal is just about one of the best sounds in the world!