The drying of beans...

[Two_Sheds]

lol

It's good to let them think they're right once in a while

[FionaH]

Just rang him. He is one very smug old fella right now

[Two_Sheds]

my dad took the leaves of one of my plants

Total defoliation at this time is good for (me) for several reasons:

- reduces the chance of the gales flattening the canes (the wind goes through the plants instead of knocking them over
- reduces the hiding places for baby snails (I find 100s of them in the foliage: crunch crunch crunch)
- ripens the beans better
- reduces chance of mouldy beans
- reduces leaf fall on the ground, so removes hiding places for slugs

[shona_b]

Hi all
With my borlottis and some overlarge runners I was advised to place them on a tray in the oven once it had been turned off. Any merit in this as I don't have an airing cupboard? - I've left as many as I can on the plants but with the botlottis a few have been going brown and soft rather than drying properly. The ying yang beans are so close to the ground they too have been picked before the slugs have any more!

[chris]

All beans contain it. Some contain more of the toxin than others, and the seeds have more of it than the pods do - red kidney beans have the most (there are other colours of kidney bean, so don't think that if it's not red it's OK to eat raw or undercooked).

People will say "oh I've always eaten them raw and I'm still alive" ... I've eaten undercooked beans and it was not OK, it was very very painful & horrible

So really then, green beans should be cooked well? I like mine a bit crunchy. Do you know if freezing destroys the toxin? How large are the beans when you pick them for shelling? Full Size but not dry?