Borlotti Bean Questions

[wellie]

This is only my second year of growing these gorgeous climbing beans, so forgive my ignorance.....:

1. If you pick the pods when they're still very green, with red marbling, and the bean seeds inside HAVEN'T yet swelled out, can you treat them just like a Runner Bean in terms of cooking 'the whole thing'?

2. If you pick the pods green with red marbling, like above, but the bean seeds inside HAVE swelled, can you (if a frost was forecast) bring them inside and spread them out to ripen further indoors, and will the pods turn from green/red to cream/red, and therefore later be 'shell-able', or not?

I've harvested loads from here at Holly Cottage, and a smaller amount from our Allotment, but would be very grateful for advice from you seasoned 'Borlotti-Peers' on what I should do to maximise my harvest now with what's left on the canes as the Season is 'drawing in' now.
Thanks in advance,
X

[di]

You could do as I & leave the lot in the hands of two little kiddies to dutifully shell the lot(popping them all in the same container of course!!)& be left with a bowl of fairly muddled beans!!Or better still wait for someone that knows!!!~hoping that someone will also let me know I've done the right thing in the other bean post!(please!)

[wellie]

See Wellie and Di holding hands, with crossed fingies and toes, waiting for some superior knowledge Buff to come along......

[Two_Sheds]

1) if no seeds are present inside, or are very tiny, use as a whole pod, like a runner bean

2) if beans inside are fairly fat but the pod is still green & soft: this is flageolet (unripe). Cook the seeds (boil 10 mins) but the not the pod, as it will be stringy/tough. They will be no good as seed ... but you can freeze them.

3) if the pod has dried & gone all crispy, the seeds are ripe (haricot). Use for next year's seed, or use as a kidney bean


hope that helps

[Flummery]

Succinctly and beautifully put by Two Sheds!

I would just add that the wonderful red flecking on the beans themselves which makes them so attractive both as shelly (freshly podded) and dried beans sadly disapperas when cooked. They still taste gorgeous though.

Freshly shelled can be put in bags straight in the freezer and then dumped in casseroles and stews throughout the year without the faff of pre-soaking and long boiling which you have to do with dried beans. I don't mind doing this but I'm not always organised enough to know what we're having toninght, let alone tomorrow night!

[wellie]

Yes, I think that about covers the range of beans in my trug! I had to remove them from the top of the canes as the whole row was in danger of toppling over. The ones still maturing on the plants, I'm not worried about, as I know what to do with them.

Excellent advice girls - as usual!!
Many thanks
X

[Winged one]

As another borlotti virgin here, can I ask if there is a need to take beans off the plants before frosts, or are they safe to leave until dried/grown enough to get beans from the middle (I think I like Flum's idea of ziploc baggie in freezer and no soaking)?

[zazen999]

Well, I'm leaving them through frosts - they are only going straight into my freezer. I've still got quite a few to come and want them as big as possible.

[daylily]

I don't think they do much growing once the weather turns, but can get a lot fungi in the damp cool autumn, all in all , I don't think it's worth leaving them out too long. Once the foliage withers away, that's that.

[Two_Sheds]

I've picked most of my beans now, I've got an equal amount of dried beans to unripe beans (frozen now).
My White Emergo have been the slowest to ripen ... they are still green without visible beans inside (I don't like runners, I use the beans inside instead). Must start them off earlier next year.