Butter & Borlotti beans

[Snadger]

I have borlotti and butter beans growing about 7.0" high at present. They look quite healthy(unlike my rampicante french beans) and presently have white flowers. Anyone had any dealings with either and do you think i will get a crop here in the North East?

[smallblueplanet]

We're growing borlotti beans - love 'em and the beanstlks are going crazy but at present the beanpods are quite small - they're later than other beans.

What are your butter beans like?

[Snadger]

We're growing borlotti beans - love 'em and the beanstlks are going crazy but at present the beanpods are quite small - they're later than other beans.

What are your butter beans like?

Much the same as the borlotti, in fact I planted borlotti on one side of a mesh support and and butter on the other. Now they are all interwoven I can't tell one from the other...what colour flowers have the borlotti as I can only see cream coloured flowers?

[smallblueplanet]

Dunno - but perhaps you'll tell from the colour of the pods? Yummy beans though.....

[Earthbabe]

My borlottis were very late and not very fruitful this year. They have also gone stringy very early. If you have barlotto di fuoco borlotti beans you will start to see red streaks on the pods. The flowers on mine are cream. Never tried butter beans so can't help with those. Although I would like to give them a go. Where did you get the seed from?

[Snadger]

My borlottis were very late and not very fruitful this year. They have also gone stringy very early. If you have barlotto di fuoco borlotti beans you will start to see red streaks on the pods. The flowers on mine are cream. Never tried butter beans so can't help with those. Although I would like to give them a go. Where did you get the seed from?

Give you three gueses....Ebay of course!

You say your borlotti went stringy....do you not grow them for the actual beans then rather than the pods? First time I have grown either, but am growing both for the beans. Not a great lover of runner beans as I always find the pods stringy

[smallblueplanet]

We've only ever grown Borlotti for their beans, this year we're trying Lamon(we grow other climbing beans for their pods - blauhilde is good french bean for its pods and then 'haricot' beans). Borlotti are fantastic tasting beans, can't get enough of them! ATM there is tons of plant growth, and eventually some beans are growing too.

[Earthbabe]

Bit of both really as the catalogue said I could but have found you need to pick them really small to eat them like green beans. As regards runner beans I am picking these at green bean size or a little bigger to eat whole and they are delicious. I have found that purple climbing bean "Blauhilde" only get stringy when they are really old and suitable only for seed saving or again keeping the beans to use as haricots/flageolets (baked bean beans)

[mutley]

hi snadger
im in newcastle and have been eating bollotis for about a month great flavour . Ive grown them up wig wams they are about 7ft tall . loads still on plants.

[eddie]

hi all grown bollotis for first time this year .loads of great big pods looks like about six or seven beans in them .not eaten any yet trying them tomorrow ,with a sunday roast pods look very attractive though .hey snadger any tips on leeks .comming from north east you should know all about them .im lucky with climate here in liverpool it is usually mild in winter cheers guys

[eddie]

just picked and podded first borlotti beans look good big beans .looks like they are best when pods turn brown .red pods had green beans in them brown pods had red speckled beans if they taste as good as they look i wont be complaining yes cream flowers .eddie..

[Pete]

You say your borlotti went stringy....do you not grow them for the actual beans then rather than the pods? First time I have grown either, but am growing both for the beans. Not a great lover of runner beans as I always find the pods stringy

My fist time growing barlotto di fuoco (first time growing anything actually!)

They have certainly grown tall, strong and fruitful with a lovely dappled colour. We had quite a few of them when they were still thin and they were delicious (not stringy), but we have decided to leave the rest to mature and harvest the actual beans (fresh and for drying).

[Snadger]

hi snadger
im in newcastle and have been eating bollotis for about a month great flavour . Ive grown them up wig wams they are about 7ft tall . loads still on plants.

Nice to hear from you mutley, glad to hear your borlotti's are thriving, got a few pods on mine now, so looking forward to a boiling soon

[pottymarigold]

Hi all.

I need some drying advice! Someone told me you have to dig up the whole plant and hang it upside down in a dry room to dry them? Is there any easier way? I don't have any space to do this!

Also, I have heard you need to pre-boil dried beans before use so at what stage are they dry enough to store and need to be pre-boiled? My pods are starting to turn a purply brown colour at the mo, are they still ok to eat as fresh or dry enough to store? So confused!

[rustylady]

What do you want to do, eat them as fresh (shelly) bean or dry them?