Bean recommendation

[chris]

It's only this year that I've eaten shelly beans- and some dried too that I've grown. I've been growing up my bean stock from a few beans given to me etc so have a lot to grow on next year.

This year my favourite Shelly beans have been berlotti - I hate to use the term but they were 'meaty'. Very filling and tasted good too.

I've eaten a few others that really did taste nutty too - so was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for beans used as Shelly or dried?

This year I've eaten berlotti, Hewitt, blue And white and trail of tears. Apart from these- any other recommendations?

Thanks!


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[SarzWix]

Tarbais is one of my new favourites, a white bean with a thinner skin. I also grow Bridgewater every year that are a bit like borlottis, but purple splashed instead of red. They're really heavy-cropping as well as tasty
Probably got some spare seeds of Bridgewater about the place if you remind me later

[Thelma Sanders]

If you want large white beans - I can recommend these, some are really big. They cook up like Greek Gigantes beans

Bean (Shelling) Spagna Bianco Seeds|D. T. Brown Vegetable Seeds

[chris]

Thanks both, I'll have a look at them now.. Problem is not getting carried away - hence why I'm after recommendations for taste really - rather than the bumbf that seed vendors go on about

[Two_Sheds]

Problem is not getting carried away

Yeah, it can get silly, when you're starting to hold the national bean collection (Zazen). I have a mere 30-odd varieties.


There are a lot like the Borlotti, Chris: Bridgwater is a very generous cropper, and Serbian (gold splashes) was good but I lost all my seed over 3 wet summers

Don't bother with the dwarf borlotties, they don't bear a large crop. For dwarves, I like Rocquencourt and Asda's black turtle bean: both heavy croppers, and don't need staking if you plant them about 5" apart (they hold each other up).

A few more varieties are mentioned in the recipe thread: http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ans_26962.html

The best red kidney bean is Canadian Wonder, which is a 2 - 3ft tall bean (I stick the odd cane in their patch as and when required).

[chris]

Thanks TS - I was reading that thread the other day to get some ideas..

We're leaning to eating less and less (but better cuts) meat, and these (beans eaten this way) to me are an ample substitute - plus the kids eat them too (they think they're baked beans ) rather than only eating say beef and turning their nose up at any other meat.

Side tracking, but my favourite way so far, was a simple tomato sauce (tomatoes, passata, garlic, and a few herbs) and the beans simmered in it (after boiled obviously!) until they were tender and the sauce reduced to a very thick sauce - then banged in a wrap with some cheese on it.

I still have a few dwarf beans from you that I've kept back as 90% of my crop were destroyed by slugs - so these will go in pots in the garden where I can keep a closer eye on them next year

[Two_Sheds]

simple tomato sauce ... the sauce reduced to a very thick sauce

Yeah, for the OH I'm trying to get him to use meat as a garnish rather than the main thing: not easy, as he refuses to eat any vegetable at all.

and to save a bit of gas & simmering time, you can blitz the sauce with a hand stick blender (I scoop out a third or so into a spare pan, blitz the rest, then put back the lumpy bits for a bit of texture)