Growing beans for drying.

[veggiechicken]

I've never grown beans for drying and storing, only eating fresh.
Some varieties are suitable for eating fresh or drying so at what point do you decide to leave the pods for drying?
Is it when you plant them out - half to eat fresh, half to leave on the plant to dry?
Or do you stop picking after a few weeks and leave the rest to mature?

If I wanted to save seeds for growing, when do you decide which to leave on the plant?

Thank you!

[Jay-ell]

I tend to prefer my beans for drying so plant with that in mind - I do pick some fresh and eat/freeze them but runners especially are for drying.

Once they get a bit fat and the beans are starting to have a defined bump then they are left to grow on and mature either to be shelled and eaten or to be dried.

The ones to be dried I leave them on the plants as long as possible then take the plant down once wet weather starts and hang them and finally pull the pods off, take the beans out and spread them on kitchen paper somewhere warmish and ventilated. If they're just for the pot I might pop them into the dehydrator but if I wast to keep some to sow I'll just let them air dry.

Once dried they are stored in individual jars (one per variety, not one per bean - I'd need thousands of jars) which, with the different colours and patterns look nice in a line in the cupboards.

[roitelet]

I tend to leave any beans that have 'gone over the top' and use them dried although I do grow Borlotti just for drying.

[Alison]

I grow separate ones for fresh and drying and basically ignore the drying ones from when I plant them out until late summer. Picked the last few last Sunday and found this year a bumper year. For doing I grow 4 types of climbing beans, 1 dwarf (although to be honest the crop off dwarfs is nowhere near as good as their taller relatives) and giant runners in addition to my fresh runners and Frenchies. Love them all but think some types are better for the specific purpose if you see what I mean.

[Jay-ell]

I agree that you get far more beans and a longer fresh bean harvest from the climbers than the dwarf frenchies (I'm assuming it will be the same for the dwarf runners) but dwarfs are handy for popping into a gap of for a place where you cant put a support (e.g. where it would shade out others too much) or even growing underneath the supports for the climbers.

Of course some beans/pulses only come in smaller sizes (lupini, lentils, adjuki, soy).

If you're growing climbing beans solely to dry then they can be grown in places you cant easily reach as you're not going to be harvesting them every day (e.g. up the jeusalem artichokes) and only need to get to them at the end of the season.

[veggiechicken]

Thanks everyone!
I would have liked to save seeds from the CFBs that I grew this year but the pods are showing no sign of drying out - not even sure that they have any seeds in them. However, this cold weather will probably finish them off and I'll have nothing from them.
Either I should have stopped picking earlier or grown some, as suggested, just for drying.
I need a "plan" for next year

[Jay-ell]

Youls always harvest them and spread them out indoors

[Cadalot]

VC - I cut the beans off at the bottom about 3 - 4 weeks ago so that the pods die off and go brown and crispy. Then this Sunday because the weather is turning and we are going to have more frost and rain I harvested a flower bucket full as I want some for next year and the Pea and Bean Circle on here.

[Lumpy]

JL is right about both the dwarf runners and DFB's.

I grew Suttons and Jackpot this year and although we had quite a few meals (out of 8 plants) I found them far less productive.

The runners were also diffult to pick as the foliage starts collasping in on top of the beans - slug heaven is created as a result.

Something I am going to have a go at next year though............thanks to buying a snack bag yesterday from a well known cheapei supermarket is dried pea pods.

From what I can find out you can use the smaller pods, when the peas are quite small or mangetout.

Slow dry in the oven untill crispy.

The ones I bought yesterday were sea salt and vinegar flavour - yummy.

I suppose if they are dried out properly they will store in air tight containers for a while.

[Small pumpkin]

I only dry beans for resowing. So as others have said I leave the ones that have got to big before I've noticed them or the ones that are to high ( I'm slightly vertically challenged ). I grow pea beans which I believe were originally grown for drying but I use them like runners and they are very nice. They don't seed to cross pollination with any other varieties of bean either.

[Mrs Bee]

We grow certain beans that can be dried.

We do borlotti and flageolets.

They can be dried but I prefer to harvest them as soon as the beans are big and fat and freeze them rather than dry them.

I find that they are easier to cook from frozen. But they can be dried and if we dry any we do the same as Cadalot.

[vixylix]

I find dried beans too much of a faff to cook with - I do the same as Mrs Bee and pull them off to freeze them. Those that get forgotten / missed and turn brown and crispy are saved for seed

[lmayhow]

I have asked a couple of time on here about drying beans though don't know how to footnote or reference for you. We are going to purposely grow beans just for drying next year down the allotment... Jungle seeds website looks really interesting.

I also was away from home end of August beginning of September so upon advise from you lovely people I left my runners to grow and dry on plant, have a ridiculous amount of beans which is cool as we eat loads. I have attempted two ways of saving, again on forum suggestions. Boil half for 10 mins and then freeze to add to cooking no need to soak and the dried the other half completely but will need to pre soak before cooking.

[veggiechicken]

Was it this one http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...dry_91225.html
I want to grow beans for drying deliberately, not the accidental ones that are overlooked. That's why I need a plan!

[Jay-ell]

Simples - Plant, don't pick, harvest at end