ying yang beans

[hawthorns]

when do you know when its time to harvest the ying yang bean ?

[bluemoon]

I haven't a clue, hawthorns as I've never grown them, they are going to be one of my next year's 'guest veg' though, so any information will be welcomes by me too.

[PAULW]

Just depends on what you want to do with them, I have grown pea beans which look like ying yang beans and they can be picked as the bean just starts to swell and eaten whole, pod as well, let them swell and eat like broad beans or leave on the vine to dry for storing

[Two_Sheds]

just treat them the same as any other French bean, ie eat fresh when young & tender; eat as flageolet when the seeds have swollen; eat as haricot when the pods & seeds have dried out.

[hawthorns]

primarily i want to use them for chilli and stews. you can see the beans swelling in the pods at the moment

[Flummery]

You could harvest them now for chillies, pod them and freeze them. I usually leave them to dry on the vine (fat chance in this weather?) and shell them when the pods are crisp. Then you have to soak them overnight and boil up till tender. Don't salt them in this cooking process - it toughens the skins. Then add them to your chilli.

[Two_Sheds]

PS. you only get the lovely yin-yang effect when the beans are mature. The immature (flageolet) beans are just green with a pink tinge

[hawthorns]

i have shelled a pod and the beans are about 1cm in size and are a light green colour.

[Flummery]

They colour up as they get older. They are gorgeous at whatever stage in my opinion!

[hawthorns]

not grown them before. i swapped them with another gyo er.

[Two_Sheds]

If they're green, they aren't fully ripe, so are no good for storing or for sowing next year.
you can still eat them though ... boil for about 20 mins to get rid of the toxin.

Fully dried ones look like this:

[Flummery]

not grown them before. i swapped them with another gyo er.

'Twas meself! And your chard is doing brilliantly too, thanks!

[hawthorns]

didnt get any joy with the chard as the slugs loved it too much so i gave up