Borlotti Beans

[noviceveggrower]

Hi,
Its the first time I have grown borlotti beans. I am drying them out but have noticed some are really white with a few red patches and some are mainly red with white spots. They are all the same size.
Are they ok? Was wondering if they had been picked to soon or to late?
Are they ok to cook with still?
Thanks

[scarey55]

Mine all come in different shapes and sizes, some as you mentioned and some just dark red all over. I'm sure they will be fine, just remember to soak them overnight and boil them well when you use them - I think that's it anyway, just check the cooking instructions to be sure.

[Zelenina]

They're fine, nvg It's very common for bicoloured beans to have this kind of colour reversal of background and markings. Some people call it day and night. It's not genetic, because if you plant the "night" beans they produce mainly normal coloured "day" beans, with maybe a few reversals, the same as before.

[Fleurisa]

The longer they are left on the plants the more of the traditional pattern will develop

[Zelenina]

The picture on this page shows one Borlotti bean with reversed colours, in amongst some more usual coloured ones borlotti-beans.com

Is that what yours are like, nvg? It's perfectly normal for Borlottis and similar types of beans, and doesn't affect their eating or seed qualities.

Fleurisa is right about the colours getting darker as the beans mature. They will carry on getting darker in storage too. Beans of the same variety grown in different years or soil conditions can also have different amounts of markings, or different shades of colour.

You do occasionally get unexpected colours showing up in the next generation of beans if a flower on the parent plant was cross-pollinated. But this kind of colour reversal is not due to that.

[Nicos]

I love these beans and always keep my own seed

They are all different colours- interesting aren't they??

My original seed were from Hazel....I'd never have imagined I'd have been enjoying seeds 5/6 ???? years after planting the original seeds!!

[noviceveggrower]

The picture on this page shows one Borlotti bean with reversed colours, in amongst some more usual coloured ones borlotti-beans.com

Is that what yours are like, nvg? It's perfectly normal for Borlottis and similar types of beans, and doesn't affect their eating or seed qualities.

Yep mine are like that

Fleurisa is right about the colours getting darker as the beans mature. They will carry on getting darker in storage too. Beans of the same variety grown in different years or soil conditions can also have different amounts of markings, or different shades of colour.

That's good to know. I've never grown them before and was worried I'd picked them either to early or to late.
Is there any chance that they could cross pollinate with a runner bean plant?

[Zelenina]

Is there any chance that they could cross pollinate with a runner bean plant?

No!

Well, I've read that it has been known to happen but is extremely rare, so don't worry about it.

Runner bean varieties cross very easily with each other but not with French bean varieties (which Borlottis are, even though they are Italian ). Frenchies are usually self-pollinating, but sometimes do cross with each other if the bees are very busy.

[noviceveggrower]

No!

Well, I've read that it has been known to happen but is extremely rare, so don't worry about it.

Runner bean varieties cross very easily with each other but not with French bean varieties (which Borlottis are, even though they are Italian ). Frenchies are usually self-pollinating, but sometimes do cross with each other if the bees are very busy.

Thanks Just something I thought about last minute.

[Alison]

No!

Well, I've read that it has been known to happen but is extremely rare, so don't worry about it.

Runner bean varieties cross very easily with each other but not with French bean varieties (which Borlottis are, even though they are Italian ). Frenchies are usually self-pollinating, but sometimes do cross with each other if the bees are very busy.

French beans are different to runners so won't cross with each other but can (although usually don't) cross with other Frenchies.