Cobra beans

[two brews]

I`ve bought some cobra beans with no instructions,so went on s ravens to find some. At the top of the article she says great eaten raw then further down do not eat the pods raw as they contain toxins.As i was growing them for the pods more like french beans not the actual beans inside I was wondering what these toxins are as we eat green beans raw in salads but never tried this variety only dwarf plants and I dont seem to get many from them hence the change to a bigger plant.Possibly I have got it all wrong and they should only be grown for the beans inside.Does anyone have problems with them ?

[Guest]

Cobra are a green bean variety rather than shelling. However, I have found their reliability variable from season to season. I think the toxin becomes more of an issue as the bean matures (don't quote me tho.) i.e. you need to thoroughly cooked/ rapidly boil dried beans where as you can steam/blanch green beans. Hopefully another grape can mention raw green beans as that is unknown territory for me

[Thelma Sanders]

All beans have toxins in............

Although it is common for green beans to be eaten raw in salads or straight from the garden, green beans are actually mildly toxic when raw. They contain the same toxins and anti-nutrients as mature and dried beans, but in lower concentrations.

This is not a cause for major alarm (almost every food has "toxins" in it, and some actually have beneficial effects). Clearly they're not highly toxic as they're often eaten raw with no noticeable effects

Green beans - Appropedia: The sustainability wiki

[maverick451]

I ate loads of raw one last year, there were amazing raw and cooked, I actually am growing more Cobra and less runner beans this year.