Full of Beans 2019

[Miss Mousetrousers]

I only grow French beans and plant them in the g-house bed because it can be rather windy here, they don't curl up at the ends either, and I always get a very good crop. I'm growing a climbing Cobra at one end in a gro-pot and some dwarf Sonesta with yellow pods around it. I've never tried that variety before but it's supposed to have a very good flavour. My Cobra is now in its gro-pot and the Sonesta are waiting to grow a bit more before planting.

[Scarlet]

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

You can freeze the fresh "shelly" bean without boiling - they freeze well.

You don't need to wait until they have dried in their pods if you are freezing.
Drying is useful if you want to store in jars / haven't got the freezer space.

[veggiechicken]

Can you explain "shelly" please? I've never understood it!

[Scarlet]

Shelled fresh -same as in shelling peas? So taking the bean out of the pod and discarding the rest.

Maybe I'm spelling it wrong

[Scarlet]

" A shriveled and slightly moist pod indicates a plump bean inside and when purchased fresh, shelling beans take only minutes to cook and do not require an overnight soak"

Taken from :
https://cuesa.org/food/shelling-beans

[veggiechicken]

Thanks Scarlet.
"Shelly" is in lots of 2Shed's posts but I've not been brave enough to ask!!

[Mark_Riga]

Soissons, a french climbing bean for drying just found the packet today and sowed 30 seeds in a tray also a dwarf french for drying that I bought in a french supermarket several years ago and a dwarf french for eating the pods. Broadbeans for making hummus.

[SarrissUK]

Do fresh shelly beans not need boiling for some time to get rid of the toxin too? That's the only reason I was thinking of cooking them before I freeze them.
And thank you

[Scarlet]

They do need boiling to get rid of the toxins...but no soaking required and they take much less time. Obviously the smaller the bean the less time required. But around 20mins or maybe a little more?

Read this: good info here
https://www.thespruceeats.com/all-ab...-beans-2217277

[SarrissUK]

Thank you Scarlet, that's brilliant - much appreciated

[Scarlet]

I will add that the "toxins" thing is real. It can make you quite poorly.

My cousin spent two nights in hospital after eating loads of raw runner beans while prepping for the freezer serious food poisoning.

I know it's not funny but she wouldn't listen

[Mr Bones]

Our lotty neighbour put his runner plants out last week and once again they've been hit with belting hailstones. He does it every year but somehow they always manage to survive and produce a huge crop.
We have overwintering Aquadulce and spring planted Sutton Dwarf broadies on the plot. Blue Lake CFB, Sprite DFB, Borlotti and unknown white seed runners are just coming up in modules.

[Small pumpkin]

I've been doing a bit of research on the beans I'm growing this year. Apparently the dwarf French beans kinghorn wax are a butter bean. First time growing these ( random purchase last time I went to the bright lights of Oban ). I didn't realise until reading two sheds thread that bean varieties were multi tasking . I thought if you wanted to grow butter bean or kidney beans, then you grew that variety. I'm learning lots ( mostly that I'm clueless ). Anyway I digress. Anyone else grown kinghorn wax as either French beans or butter beans? Think I'm going to try both.

[Scarlet]

Yes, I used to grow those! They always were the first to come for me so they were always eaten fresh.

[mothhawk]

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.

I bought 2 pkts fresh beans yesterday, Firestorm and Stardust, as only half my self-saved have germinated. Firestorm because they are reliable producers and Stardust, a new one to me, because the blurb on the packet sounded just what I wanted. I was most surprised to find the bean seeds were white, never seen that in a runner before. I, too, dislike stringy starchy runners.