Cutshort, greasy and such questions
 

Okay, have grown lots of "regular" green beans through the years, but I am a bit confused as to when to pick a cutshort or greay variaty to use as a snap bean? How fat do you let them get before picking? I found the runner bean thread to be great as it showed pictures!!!

An internet search...

"full beans" Gardenweb


...will fill you in.

I generally don't like pods completely filled in. With some varieties the flavor turns harsh, some get stringy, some get tough, etc... You'll have to find out for yourself how you like them.

With the first snaps of the season, I usually can't wait until they are full length, let alone any swelling/bean forming.

Imp, for "Greasy" type beans you pick the bean at the height of fullness, in other words when you can see the seed in the pod; and they are nice and plump. This is the opposite of regular commercial grade beans. Also, greasy type and cornfield beans have to be "Unzipped" or strung before snapping and cooking. Which cut short are you planting? I'm growing multiple greasy and Cornfield types this year; SC Red Stick, Cherokee, Tobacco Worm, Fatman, GreasyBack, Turkey Craw and NC long greasy. Hopefully I can find a way to squeeze in some Caseknife; but the seeds and planting space are running pretty scarce this year.

[url]http://www.heirlooms.org/store/c16/Greasy_Cut-Shorts.html[/url]