Huge runners - can I eat the beans?

[Gorgey Girl]

This is a thread about runner beans, not large athletes!

Apologies if this is in another thread, have started to do a search but finding myself waylaid by too many other topics (I love this forum ). Can I cook and eat the beans inside my 'oh my word, how did I miss that big boy?' runner beans? Some of them are so gorgeous I just want to look at them!

[Two_Sheds]

yes you can. Use them fresh, or let them dry out. http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ans_26962.html

[smallblueplanet]

Why is it that you only seem to see runners eaten as 'green beans'? I've never understood that - I don't like them green but the OH does, if there were tasty shelly ones we could compromise.

[Shadylane]

Feeling a bit thick here but bear with me - just read 'Sheds' thread about dried beans. How come the toxin doesn't make you puke when you eat them as green beans then - or is it only when they've got huge and dried?

[womble]

I was sort of wondering the same thing and thinking that we only steam our french beans until they are just soft.
Even when they are big pods, almost shelly beans I suppose. Maybe I should take out the beans and boil them for ten minutes, like you are supposed to with shelly beans I believe.

[FionaH]

I think its when they start to dry out you get the prob, hence the boiling lots bit. I may be wrong though

[vicky]

I think it's 'pencil podded' beans that are the ones that have to be soaked/boiled, they include the round podded french climbing beans which are the ones usually saved for eating the seeds (I think I saw this in the T&M catalogues...?)

[amandaandherveg]

I cleared away the last of the Runner Beans yesterday and found a few larghe ones lurking behind the foliage. Can I dry these out and plant them next year? This is my first time growing them and don't really know what Im doing? Some are butter bean size and some are massive with a purple tinge (the variety was Painted Lady).

[Shadylane]

If you're saving them for seed I think you're supposed to leave them on the plant until they go crispy - but I would have thought you could dry them in a shed/garage or somewhere if you've already taken them out.
edit oh hang on found another thread about cooking kidney beans:
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ans_23503.html

[amandaandherveg]

If you're saving them for seed I think you're supposed to leave them on the plant until they go crispy - but I would have thought you could dry them in a shed/garage or somewhere if you've already taken them out.

Oops!

[womble]

It depends how gone over they were when you took them off the plant. If the beans had fully developed then you might be ok, leave the pods to dry a bit and then depod them and see what the beans look like, if they look like the seeds you planted, you should be ok.

[Two_Sheds]

How come the toxin doesn't make you puke when you eat them as green beans then

there is more of the toxin in the bean than in the pod.