Drying and eating runner beans

[Storm]

Is it possible to dry the purple beans inside runner beans for eating rather than seed saving?

Our plants have got huge pods left on (too tough to eat as they are) full of big juicy purple beans.

I have saved seed from them before, but there are millions so I am wondering if it's safe to dry these purple beans and then cook them as required through the winter?

do they make good eating?

do the beans have to be boiled for ages like kidney beans?

should i dry them in the pods?

i have looked on line and can't find much info.

[lottie dolly]

i am in the same position,seems a shame to waste them,i have nibbled on some when down the lottie,and still alive,

[BrideXIII]

the organic gardner site says you can cook the older beans ( seeds) the same way you would haricot beans, so I assume it would involve soaking them overnight if you have dried them previously.

[marigold007]

Or, you could quick-soak dried beans by boiling them in some water for a few minutes, turn the heat source off, cover the pot for an hour, then rinse and add fresh water. How long it takes for kidney beans to cook depends on how long they have been in storage.

[Two_Sheds]

We've had this question recently on another thread.

As with French beans, there is a toxin in the seeds of runner beans. Boil them for a good 10 mins before eating.

If you dry them, then you need to soak overnight in cold water (or an hour in boiled water) before the 10 min boil.

[BrideXIII]

We've had this question recently on another thread.

As with French beans, there is a toxin in the seeds of runner beans. Boil them for a good 10 mins before eating.

If you dry them, then you need to soak overnight in cold water (or an hour in boiled water) before the 10 min boil.

not that I am disputing you, cos I ain't that daft.
but if there is a toxin in the seeds, how come it's ok to eat them when you have the beans with the seeds in, i mean i never boil them for ten minutes, they go too soggy? do they get toxins when they get older? or just when you dry them?

[Two_Sheds]

There is more toxin in the seed than the pod. Hence as the seed grows, the amount of toxin increases.

This toxic agent is found in many species of beans, but Red kidney beans have the most (Phytohaemagglutnin), broad beans the least.

"Raw kidney beans contain from 20,000 to 70,000 hau, while fully cooked beans contain from 200 to 400 hau. White kidney beans, another variety of Phaseolus vulgaris, contain about one-third the amount of toxin as the red variety; broad beans (Vicia faba) contain 5 to 10% the amount that red kidney beans contain." Red Kidney Bean Poisoning - Food Reference

[BrideXIII]

There is more toxin in the seed than the pod. Hence as the seed grows, the amount of toxin increases.

This toxic agent is found in many species of beans, but Red kidney beans have the most (Phytohaemagglutnin), broad beans the least.

"Raw kidney beans contain from 20,000 to 70,000 hau, while fully cooked beans contain from 200 to 400 hau. White kidney beans, another variety of Phaseolus vulgaris, contain about one-third the amount of toxin as the red variety; broad beans (Vicia faba) contain 5 to 10% the amount that red kidney beans contain." Red Kidney Bean Poisoning - Food Reference

thankyou for explaining, i figured it was something to do with age. I assume then, that as with kidney beans, the soaking and boiling of runners will eliminate the toxins to a safe to eat level?

[Storm]

thanks for all the help there. I had used the search menu but didn't find what i was looking for in other threads so i apologise for posting the same query again.

we will have lots and lots of beans this winter to eat i think

cheers!

[lottie dolly]

thank you for explaining things two sheds,but can they be frozen instead of dried,before the 10 min boil,

[Two_Sheds]

thankyou for explaining, i figured it was something to do with age. I assume then, that as with kidney beans, the soaking and boiling of runners will eliminate the toxins to a safe to eat level?

It's the boiling that gets rid of the toxin (10 mins).

The soaking is simply to hydrate dried beans so they are soft enough to chew! (8 hr cold soak, or a 1 hr boiled-water soak)

[Hilary B]

We've had this question recently on another thread.

As with French beans, there is a toxin in the seeds of runner beans. Boil them for a good 10 mins before eating.

If you dry them, then you need to soak overnight in cold water (or an hour in boiled water) before the 10 min boil.

I've quite often soaked shop-bought kidney beans AFTER 10 mins in the pressure cooker (and in the same water they were boiled in). They get cooked afterwards, but without any particular effort at the 'really fast boil'. We are still here.

[Two_Sheds]

We are still here.

The toxin prob won't kill you (although it can). It just gives you bad stomach cramps, vomiting etc.
some people think they can't tolerate the gas in beans ... I think they just don't cook them properly

[Hilary B]

The toxin prob won't kill you (although it can). It just gives you bad stomach cramps, vomiting etc.
some people think they can't tolerate the gas in beans ... I think they just don't cook them properly

Never had any such problem, and I used to do it that way when the kids were small (these days I have reverted to buying tinned, to save time, but back then economy was all-important and planning ahead was actually easier than it is these days). One 30yo and one 28 don't seem to have suffered unduly.
I reckoned that if 10 mins boiling was important, then 10 mins pressure cooking was better, and no-one had said it HAD to be soak first and boil after, so I did it the other way around, and it seemed to work OK.
I've always been a bit of a 'seat of the pants' cook, like my Mum (although I doubt she ever used pulses much except during rationing time, which was before I was around).

[alldigging]

I know this thread is several years old, but just had a read.. might start drying some beans rather than hauling tons off the plot every night