French Beans

[treepixie]

i brought some bean plants from a plant stall, they were labeled Runner beans.

Now i did think they were getting of to a slow start, but turns out they are a type of i presume french bean.

they look like french beans, but the beans are black/purple, any idea what variety these could be and do i cook them the same as ordinary french beans

[zazen999]

Do you mean the inside beans are black purple or the pods are black/purple?

There are lots of black/purple podded beans; could you post a photo so that we can have a look and see.

Could be something like Cosse Violette; purple pods and climbers.....

[treepixie]

the bean pods are black

[zazen999]

Could be Purple Queen; but they look like these purple runner beans - so if they are - could you save some to dry off and swap with me? I have a chum who lost her friend to cancer; he was a marathon runner and died of cancer and we are currently on the loom out for purple runner beans [we were only talking about it last week]....

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgur...DNfPjAeN3MXDBQ

[Jeanied]

Zazen are you sure? They look for all the world like my climbing french ones always do - Blauhilde is the packet I have now. The stems and the pods are purple but cook to a green colour. The beans inside are white.
Now that's interesting - found on a google search on the difference between a runner and a climbing french bean.

Runner beans are a bean species, Phaseolus coccineus, with large seeds & usually red or pink flowers. Most runner beans are pole beans... hence the "runner" in the name.
Any bean which climbs is a "pole" bean, and there are many types other than the runners above:
- Lima beans, Phaseolus lunatus (which can be pole or bush)
- Common beans, Phaseolus vulgaris (pole or bush)
- Yardlong beans, Vigna unguiculata
- Winged beans, Psophocarpus tetragonolobus
- Hyacinth beans, Dolichos lablab
and several lesser-known species.

Usually when someone says "pole beans" with no other qualifier, they are referring to P. vulgaris.

Blauhilde is phaseolus vulgaris - I do like my Latin, me!

[treepixie]

zazen those look very purple, mine are more black, but you are welcome to some seeds.

[Two_Sheds]

Out of interest, why do you think they're runners Zaz? I don't grow them, but I assume runners to be fatter & flatter.

To me, they look like Cosse Violette (frenchies).

[treepixie]

jeanid have googled that and yes they look like mine

thanks everyone for your help

[Jeanied]

Zazen if you fancy some of my saved seeds let me know - but first, are frenchies inbreeders or outbreeders? I forget.

Ooops - I lied about the seed colour - these are coffee coloured!! (the dried bean is, that's a cup of coffee colour, not a coffee bean colour - I'd better quit here)

[Two_Sheds]

Blauhilde ... pods are purple but cook to a green colour. The beans inside are white.

Ditto for Cosse Violette, but the seeds are more of a beigey colour

[zazen999]

Out of interest, why do you think they're runners Zaz? I don't grow them, but I assume runners to be fatter & flatter.

To me, they look like Cosse Violette (frenchies).

Because the OP said in the first post that they were runners.....

[Two_Sheds]

Because the OP said in the first post that they were runners.....

Lol, yeah, I missed that

[zazen999]

zazen those look very purple, mine are more black, but you are welcome to some seeds.

Yours look purple in the photo; so perhaps the others are more black in real life.

I don't think you are going to find out exactly what they are....but you can eat them as like French Beans, or as shelly beans [freeze the beans themselves as they are growing] or as dried [leave on the plant to dry completely].

Looking at yours, they are probably not runners as they aren't flat enough, have they got the unmistakeable runner bean surface texture?

[Jeanied]

You'll only be able to tell by the bean seed. Runners usually have a large seed with the mottled markings and are usually pink when fresh. French are smaller and no mottling and are usually white when fresh.
And I shoulda had more faith in you Zazen. Clearly you are after phaseolus coccineus Trionfo Violetta!

[zazen999]

You'll only be able to tell by the bean seed. Runners usually have a large seed with the mottled markings and are usually pink when fresh. French are smaller and no mottling and are usually white when fresh.
And I shoulda had more faith in you Zazen. Clearly you are after phaseolus coccineus Trionfo Violetta!

Yup, we are!