Haricot beans

[Pies]

Hi all I am planning to grow som Bolotto beans beans and harvest them as haricot beans.

Do i just let all the pods go dry and harvest them all at the end of the season or do i pick them of as they are developed and dry them of the plant

TIA

[taff]

I gew some last year [first time],I found that the longer they stayed on, the redder the pod, the bigger the bean.
they were quite deceptive in that earlier pods looked as if they may contain fair sized beans, but they didn't.
So keep them on and let the pods dry as a long as possible on the plant before you pull the whole thing up and let it dry, or pod them and spread out to dry.

[Pies]

Thank you

[Two_Sheds]

As Taff says really.

For haricot, you need to leave the beans on the plant until dry & crispy.

For flageolet (aka shelly beans) you can shell them as soon as you feel there are beans inside (and freeze them)

[Patchninja]

just up the coast here, there's a town called Paimpol that is famous for the white beans. (Les cocos de Paimpol) In the shops, the pods are really dry, dusty and crispy. IF you have a glut, just pod and freeze. YUM!

[Two_Sheds]

don't freeze dry beans, put them in jars

[Patchninja]

don't freeze dry beans, put them in jars

Why not? I always do, but am willing to learn a better method.

[zazen999]

Why not? I always do, but am willing to learn a better method.

Waste of good freezer space, and if they are dry, they don't need to be frozen.

[Patchninja]

well, they're not dry, dry like dried split peas, for example so I would worry about mould.

[Flummery]

If you leave them till the pods are crisp, then put them on newspaper in a sunny window until you hear them cracking open, they will be too dry to go mouldy - honest!

[Patchninja]

I'll give that a go. Thanks.
I'm a true optimist and am hoping to have SO MANY veg to freeze that I'll need all the space I've got