When do I pick borlotti beans?

[selfraising]

I have loads of borlotti beans on my dwarf plants. When are they ready to pick?

[Jardiniere]

somebody answer this cos i want to know too!!!!!!

[Maximillian]

You cN pick and eat them fresh. Also leave some for drying. Enjoy! Ps it's the beans inside you eat.

[selfraising]

Thanks Maximillian! Do the beans need to be swollen inside like broad beans?

[bazzaboy]

SR, a note from the T&M Borlotto bean ("Firetongue") packet which hopefully is useful info:
"Tasty fresh or as haricot beans. A multi purpose Italian speciality, either for fresh young pods as flageolets (semi mature pods with succulent seeds) or more usually as haricots (fully mature pods with ripe seeds). Spectacular flattish pale green pods are heavily splashed with reddish streaks which disappear on cooking. Shell the fully ripe seeds and store in airtight containers. Sow late April to July outdoors, harvest July to frost. Serving suggestion: Cook as haricots for soups, stews and casseroles."
bb.

[selfraising]

That's brilliant bazzaboy, thanks very much!

[gojiberry]

I have runners and dwarf french so all my borlotto will be used for drying for winter use.

Ian

[selfraising]

So how do I go about drying them?

[Two_Sheds]

So how do I go about drying them?

like drying any seeds: you just leave them on the plant until everything turns brown & crispy.

then you harvest the seeds, compost the pods.
Store in a porous container (plastic will make them mouldy if they aren't perfectly dry)

[selfraising]

Thanks TS, never harvested seeds before which is why I was asking.

[Maximillian]

You then use them like kidneys, soak them and boil till soft. Don't add salt till they're cooked.

[HayleyB]

Can't you eat them as French (Italian) beans??????

[Two_Sheds]

from the T&M Borlotto bean ("Firetongue") packet ..."Tasty fresh or as haricot (dried) beans "

Can't you eat them as French (Italian) beans??????

Yep
.

[pottymarigold]

Just to confirm what self raising asked earlier, do you have to wait until they swell up to use the beans like broad beans? Just I have never grown them before so don't know how big they get. I have pods which are quite big with the red streaks. Should they be bulging and fat before picking?

Also, if you pick them between the stage of being too big for using the whole pod but too small for the beans to be used, can you still eat the pods with tiny beans in? Just in case I pick too early!

Sorry, one more thing, someone told me to dry them by cutting down the whole plant when it gets dry and hanging it upside down to dry fully before storing. I haven't got the space to be hanging up whole plants but is it ok as mentioned above to just wait until the plant is crispy and then harvest? What if it rains etc, how dry do they have to be exactly?

How long do you have to soak them for? Are they poisonous like kidney beans?

[rustylady]

Yes, leave them until you can see the shape of the beans through the pods.

Leave beans for drying on the plants as long as you possibly can. Rain shouldn't matter as long as it's not all day every day.

I soak dried beans overnight. All beans needed boiling for ten minutes to kill the toxins, then simmering until tender.