Flageolet beans

[cazsudz]

Can you use any variety of french beans for shelling? I have grown dwarf yellow bean roquequort and they have been fantastic but after having them most nights for tea for the past month and also freezing some we need a bit of a rest. But there's still quite a lot of beans on the plants. Could I leave these to ripen, then eat as flageolots?

thanks

caz

[Hazel at the Hill]

Yes

Remember you need to soak dried bean overnight & boil rapidly for 10 mins.

You can also shell out the beans (like you would peas) & freeze these if you don't want to leave the beans for drying.

[Flummery]

I'm trying it with all the varities I'm growing this year. The beans inside are some remarkably pretty colours. Saldy they mostly end up the colour of mud when cooked but they taste great. I like to freeze the shelled out beans then put them in winter casseroles. Pork & Beans with your own shelly beans is fantastic and a chilli with your own beans is pretty special.

[SarzWix]

Nearly all of mine are being left to turn into shelled beans now - I've run out of freezer space for fresh pods!

[cazsudz]

Thanks I'll definitely try it.

Caz

[cazsudz]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread - but just need to confirm. The beans inside my roquencourt are beautiful, but they are bright blue and don't look very edible. Before I cook and eat them just to check its OK please. Also if I'm cooking now without drying them do I have to do the 10 mins rapid boiling or can I just put them in stews etc. that will be 'simmering'. Thanks for your advice.

Caz

[zazen999]

You have to cook them until one squashed with a fork squishes with no resistance...the amount of time this takes depends on how dry it is......I find if they have changed colour from white then they generally need some boiling.

Many of the beans that I am drying out are black or purple or blue. They lose the colour when you cook them.

[Flummery]

When freshly shelled, some of the beans I've grown this year are blue (they are black if you let them dry completely). I was rather sad to see that they end up grey when boiled.