Borlotti Beans

[Two_Sheds]

I can shell them, open freeze and then use from the freezer with no other soaking or boiling, ... for some reason dried beans terrify me.

No, you can't.
All types of French bean (esp. red kidney beans) contain lectin, a toxin. You need to boil this toxin out for about 10 mins.

You then further cook the beans in fresh water until tender enough to eat (5-10 mins for frozen shelly beans, up to an hour for dried beans).

Dried beans aren't hard.
- Soak in cold water overnight.
- Boil rapidly for 10 mins
- Simmer in fresh water for up to an hour, until tender.

[HayleyB]

I freeze my shellys on a tray then put into bags, that way they don't stick together

[Jillyreeves]

I have a hand full of shellys frozen and I mean a hand full, looking forward to making extra special Minestrone Soup with them. This year was just and experiment, hope I like them as planning to grow more next year.

[wellie]

I'm in full agreement on drying the beans in their pods, shelling them and then storing in jars, as for me too, freezer space is so precious (having cut down from 4 to 1?!)
And if you're thinking of growing the Climbing Borlotti Beans, treat them like Runner Beans, until you come to plant them: they prefer much less rich soil than Runners do. Allegedly.