Full of Beans 2019

[mothhawk]

I've a dozen broad beans coming up, and have put runners to chit (as the seed is quite old), Scarlet Emperor self saved in 2013, the same from a packet, sow by 2016, and some self-saved (2016) Firestorm which probably are crossed with SE as the beans are not all the same colour. if none start to grow still plenty of time to get fresh seed

[annie8]

Only borlotti for me. Looking interesting so far.

[Small pumpkin]

Here's my little ones, just starting to come through.




Here's my dwarf French beans. Doesn't look like I'm going to get great germination from the sprite.



I found some broadbeans masterpiece green longpod this afternoon so I've sown all 37 of them. Most will be for the sales barrow because neither of us like them. But I'll grow a couple of plants. Just to make sure we still don't like them

[chillithyme]

Climbing red and whitish Italian borlotti beans (saved seed given to me by a neighbour)

[Penellype]

I'm VERY fussy about beans - I can't bear anything stringy or starchy. I'm growing just 2 varieties this year, both tried and tested. Runner bean (actually runner/french cross) Stardust which has white flowers and stringless beans and dwarf French bean Sonesta, which has stringless yellow pods. I sowed the first of the Sonesta yesterday.

[Small pumpkin]

I've discovered this thread.
https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ans_26962.html

Some of these have got me very excited about beans. Because I'll be honest I've never really known what to do with most of them . I'm a steamed runner beans & French beans with your roast or a tin of kidney beans in chilli and obviously baked beans with most other things .

I must admit I was put off dried beans. We were given a big bag of dried kidney bean and no matter how we tried they were always like bullets! Even soaking for 24 hours before cooking.
But after these two threads I'm willing to try lots of different beans

[SarrissUK]

That thread needs to go into some kind of Thread Hall of Fame

[Runtpuppy]

I've discovered this thread.
https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ans_26962.html

I must admit I was put off dried beans. We were given a big bag of dried kidney bean and no matter how we tried they were always like bullets! Even soaking for 24 hours before cooking.

I made that mistake once. I figured that if soaking them makes them softer, soaking them longer will make them really soft. Left them to soak overnight. The next day, I cooked and cooked and cooked them and they still remained hard.

Asked my mum and she said if you soak beans for too long, they become impossible to cook without a pressure cooker. She said she used to soak them in the morning if she wanted to make them for lunch, so proly no more than 3-4 hours.

[veggiechicken]

That thread needs to go into some kind of Thread Hall of Fame

Its been Stickied - that's the closest it will get to Fame!!

[Small pumpkin]

I made that mistake once. I figured that if soaking them makes them softer, soaking them longer will make them really soft. Left them to soak overnight. The next day, I cooked and cooked and cooked them and they still remained hard.

Asked my mum and she said if you soak beans for too long, they become impossible to cook without a pressure cooker. She said she used to soak them in the morning if she wanted to make them for lunch, so proly no more than 3-4 hours.

I tried soaking for just an hour as well and everything in between. Also tried not soaking. Also tried many different cooking times and methods. They were still hard! They got binned!

[1Bee]

Beeeeeeeaaaaannss!!!!!

[1Bee]

Sorry, got a bit over-excited. After squashes, I think beans are my favourite crop.

I've got Bunyards and Aguadulce broadies out in the ground and being cheerfully hammered by the pea and bean weevil. *eyeroll*

I haven't sown the rest yet, as we have a late last frost date, but they'll be going in soon. I'll be growing a small amount of runner St George, as many as I can find room for of french bean Cobra. I'm still chasing the holy grail of full self-sufficiency for french beans, which I blanche and freeze, and we get so close-but-not-quite each year. I use them a lot in chillies, curries and with peas and other green veg medleys.

Proposed layout below!

[kitty12345]

I like beans too

My theory about dried beans taking forever to cook is that if they are fresh as in not been sitting in the shop for years then they will cook more quickly. By no means an expert, but I've cooked gigantes and Cherokee black beans that I've sown more quickly than the dried beans that I bought. Dried chickpeas take forever to cook, maybe I should try growing that?!!

[mcdood]

'Dried beans hard'- I've not had a problem using this method:- soak in cold water overnight - bring to the boil and hard boil for 10 minutes to reduce the lectin, then simmer for about an hour or until soft to your taste.

Are you adding anything other than water during the soak, boil or simmer stage? I've read that salt can cause them to stay hard so maybe try with nothing added.

[SarrissUK]

I am too impatient to boil stuff for hours before eating, so I intend on cooking mine from fresh, not dried, and then freezing them in portion bags. Gets me around that problem