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Okay - help needed again! Since I've been away my dwarf french beans have gone mad and are huuuge, most with quite large seeds growing in the pods. What to do with them?? I think three possibilities - leave them to produce seed for next year (how to make this seed viable?), eat them as they are (will they be tough and nasty to taste?) or pod them and eat the seeds a'la peas (is this possible/desirable?).

Any thoughts from you kind folk out there, I really don't want to waste this crop but am not sure they're that edible?!

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I would save some for seed - let the pods ripen. French beans should be fine, they don't usually cross so you should get decent crops next year. Make a guess at how much seed you need, then pod the rest now and boil. They're really nice like this. I only do it when things have gone over a bit but we always enjoy them and consider them a treat. The only reson not to do this all the time is that it reduces your crop but at this time of year there won't be much chance of more.

You won't waste them and they are extremely edible!

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French beans when mature and dried are also known as haricot beans (the sort that go into baked beans and cassoulet). I wouldn't consider eating them now, but let them stay on the plants as long as possible, then dry them off. Shell them, save some for next year's seed and use the rest as dried beans

You can boil the seeds now and eat as flageolet beans, or let them dry completely and eat as kidney beans (soak overnight then boil for an hour); if you like them, save some seed to sow again next year.

BTW, what variety were they?

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Well I've learnt something new, didn't realise green beans would produce seeds like that! I'll leave them a little while longer to develop in that case, can't wait to taste them!! Many thanks all

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Life may not be the party we hoped for but since we're here we might as well dance