French bean size - personal preference?

[chris]

How large do you pick yours? I've just been out in the garden, pretty much forgot about the blue lake beans I sowed a while ago - and they're covered in beans. So prolific, if these taste good I'll grow them again next year! Off one plant, I've got about a pound in weight off, and there's still more! I couldn't carry any more in.

Anyway, I've picked pretty much between two sizes - attached two pics with a 10pence piece in for comparison.. When they're smaller are they better tasting? Do they get fibrous as they get larger? Do you also get maggots/something similar to pea month that affects beans? Planning on just boiling lightly and having them tonight, so kind of hoping I don't have to slice them up to look inside

[rustylady]

Size looks fine to me. They do get a bit fibrous when they're older but yours look fine. I just top and tail mine and boil or steam. Lovely.

[Two_Sheds]

I don't like them fresh at all: I've realised it's because every now and again you get a stringy one. It's got so I don't enjoy any of them fresh.

I grow them for the beans inside, they're never stringy

[Alison]

Different varieties get stringy at different stages, I let them get a reasonable size but at the point you can still snap them in half if you wanted. I love that squeaky crunch you get when you bite into nice tender fresh beans

[Nicos]

I always buy stringless varieties.
Then I aim to pick at the size above your first piccie. If I can see the shape of the bean I just cut them as you would a runnerbean and mix them together so if there is a rogue one there's not one huge mouthful!

[chris]

Erm

What's the diff between french and runner beans? :P I thought green beans were green beans!

[Patchninja]

Yours are french and you just top and tail them. Runners need the fibrous ribs pulling of and slicing. They're flat, not round. Tastless too!
French beans are best imho when they're small and NOT squeaky. Can't bear a squeaky bean

[Two_Sheds]

What's the diff between french and runner beans? :P I thought green beans were green beans!

No such thing as a "green bean"
Flummery had a wonderful explanation somewhere else, to do with cotyledons and how the plants grow.
Runners Phaseolus coccineus are cool weather plants and horrid
French Phaseolus vulgaris are hot weather plants and yummy

[rustylady]

Yours are french and you just top and tail them. Runners need the fibrous ribs pulling of and slicing. They're flat, not round. Tastless too!

I beg to differ. If runner beans are picked young they are very tender and tasty. Specially served with butter and black pepper.

[Snadger]

I prefer the Kenyan fine bean varieties! Safari is one that springs to mind but there's loads of others!

[King Carrot]

I beg to differ. If runner beans are picked young they are very tender and tasty. Specially served with butter and black pepper.

I agree, the scarlet emperor that I've been growing for years (and my parents before me) is tasty and stringless to a good 10 -12 inches long, I grew some painted lady last year for a change and they were stringy at 6inches and pretty tasteless, lesson learnt, stick with a good variety when you've found one! I guess climate and soil make a big difference too and I'm in a cool and mild generally damp area here. Might have some spare seed at the end of the season if anyone wants a try

[cupcake]

I grew White Lady last year and found they soon got too stringy for my taste. This year I have Blue Lake french beans and find them far superior in the taste department. Granted I am picking them far earlier than last year as I don't want any waste.
I go by the fact that if I can see the outline of the beans then I top and tail and slice and freeze for soups. The fine beans are either eaten or frozen whole. I get a big handful a day from 8 plants on a wigwam.
Should anyone like my white Lady beans you are welcome pm me. I shan't bother again.

[Two_Sheds]

I am growing White Lady to use dried as a butterbean

[chris]

Well, we didn't get much of a chance at eating them for dinner - sat down with them to eat and our daughter pretty much came over and picked them all off my wifes plate, so had to give her most of my share - half of which again were snatched off before wifey had a chance to eat them

i didn't top and tail them though just removed the flowery bits from them and ate. The larger ones had a bit more texture and taste so I think I'll let them grow inbetween both sizes above

didn't know you can just pod the beans out, do you just let them dry out on the plant?

[Two_Sheds]

didn't know you can just pod the beans out

Where d'ya think kidney beans come from?

Yes, just let the plant dry out. When the cases/pods are all brown & crispy you can shell the beans. If they're really dry you can store them in glass jars. Cook as for red kidney beans.

Alternatively, shell them when the beans inside are large enough to shell, but the pod is still green: these will need a 10 min boil before you eat them. They also freeze well

More info and recipes here