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Old December 17, 2013   #1
nicky
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Default My 2013 Pole Beans

It was a great year for dried beans in my garden, but not great for snaps. I was a bit surprised, as it was a cool, wet summer with very little sun. The beans seemed to get woody quickly and there was a very small window for picking shelly beans. The dried beans were ready earlier than usual. I need more room for the pole varieties next year!

This year I grew:
Bosnian Pole, Deseronto Potato, Dolloff, Flagg, Goose, Heritage Dore, Rattlesnake, Tennessee Greasy, Barksdale and Brown Tobacco Worm.

all beans.jpg Bosnian pole.jpg doloff.jpg flagg.jpg

Here is my blog about the varieties that I grew:

http://nickysgarden.wordpress.com/20...13-pole-beans/
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Old December 17, 2013   #2
KarenO
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those are really cool Nicky. Which is your favorite and what do you make with the shelled beans?
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Old December 17, 2013   #3
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Hiya Karen!

I haven't tried them all yet, so I can't say which is my favourite. I liked them all for different reasons.

I take frozen snap beans to work for lunch in the winter - sounds healthy, but I eat them with equal parts butter! For this reason I love Rattlesnake. It seems to produce large amounts at convenient intervals for freezing.

I enjoyed picking Flagg the most. Such a pretty looking bean. Although Bosnian Pole and Doloff were very nice looking too. I am a sucker for the interesting colours and patterns!

I think that my favourite dried bean for eating so far this year is Bosnian Pole. I made an "italian style soup" out of them. I pre-cook the beans; soak overnight & boil or pressure cook until tender. In a large pan I fry some onion & garlic in olive oil. Once they are tender & golden, add tomatoes (I freeze them in quarters for this purpose). Add the beans and some sweet peppers, kale (or spinch) - any veg that you like. A glug of red wine helps the taste too! Sprinkle in some oregano and basil, salt & pepper. Bosnian Pole had a great texture and its already plump seed plumped up even more in the soup.

I like the dried beans as they are easy to store. I make soups, chili, baked beans, bean dips, refried beans, black bean dishes out of them.

The shelly beans I pre cook (boil or pressure cook) and then cook in olive oil, garlic and any fresh herbs. Serve with a nice crusty bread.

I'm hungry
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Old December 17, 2013   #4
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fantastic! now I'm hungry too

I have grown mostly everything over the years but I have never grown shelling beans. I grow pole beans but eat then as snaps when they are small, even scarlet runners which I actually really like the flavor of. I will have to change that and give shelling beans a go this year, I will have to look at short season varieties as many are a little late to mature into shelling beans in my zone.
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Old December 17, 2013   #5
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Nicky, do you let your beans dry on the vine, or pick them after they are mature/leathery but not totally crispy and finish drying them inside? I have been saving bean seed for seeds only, and if I leave them to totally dry on the vine, I notice they sometimes have mold inside, or have become rotten and shriveled. But some beans of the mature but leathery pods that I bring inside to dry don't get that dry and shiny look when I open them. I always get enough beans to regrow, but not sure I would get enough good quality dry beans for eating. What is the secret to a good pick time for dry beans?
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Old December 18, 2013   #6
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Gorgeous looking beans and I love your blog too
I grew Bosnian beans (also from Remy) and they did well here too, I loved the look and taste of them.
Your Flagg and Dolloff beans look really good too, love the shape and pattern.
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Old December 18, 2013   #7
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Karen: My bush types dry far earlier than the pole beans. I direct planted the seed for Flagg, Bosnian, Goose & Deseronto Potato on May 20th and picked my 1st dry beans from Flagg and Deseronto Potato on August 24th. I give my bush beans a 2-3 week head start in the greenhouse.

Dee: I let them dry on the vine until crispy, but pick & shell them as soon as they reach that stage. I usually pick every couple of days, at the height of drying, every day. I don't like to let them get wet when they are almost dry. That seems to allow the mould to grow. The pods with better air circulation don't mould as often as the ones stuck in masses of foliage. I grow several varieties, but don't have too many plants. I'm not sure what the people do with hundreds of vines

Jayc: thank you the Bosnian variety is great! Flagg and Dolloff are so pretty. I like the squared off large beans. I love shelling them. It's like opening pods of jewels.
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Old December 18, 2013   #8
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Sounds like staggering the picking times is what I should be doing instead of waiting until the end of the season. But as I said, I've really only been been saving for replant up to now, and finding the pods that got left after midseason because they were too mature for eating. I suppose I should dedicate some plants to dry beans early on, and not pick any for green eating. I think I might have enough Rattlesnake seed left from the previous year for soup, if I can find where I've stashed it.
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Old December 18, 2013   #9
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That is what I do. Some varieties are only for dry beans. The snaps, I do the same as you, except I try to mark the plant that produces earliest & save my seeds from it (mostly). That way, I select for earliness. I don't know if it makes much difference, but it can't hurt!
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