Late Borlotti Beans - Shall I harvest?

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Permalink Reply by Kath Middleton on October 4, 2010 at 17:37

You can use them in this un-coloured state though they will clour up if left a bit longer - they are known as shelly beans. Shell them out and cook them like this - they don't take as long as they do when dried and re-hydrated. I also freeze them as shellies too.

You can finish drying beans on newspaper indoors - I usually have to - but the longer you can leave them on the plant the better. Generally with a borlotti type the pods are very red. When they start to go darker and a bit leathery they have finished growing and at this stage you might as well dry them off indoors. Worst case is that they start to sprout because of the rain!

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Permalink Reply by Clairetweet on October 4, 2010 at 18:48

Thanks for such a great, comprehensive answer Kath. I shall follow your advice...


Kath Middleton said:

You can use them in this un-coloured state though they will clour up if left a bit longer - they are known as shelly beans. Shell them out and cook them like this - they don't take as long as they do when dried and re-hydrated. I also freeze them as shellies too.

You can finish drying beans on newspaper indoors - I usually have to - but the longer you can leave them on the plant the better. Generally with a borlotti type the pods are very red. When they start to go darker and a bit leathery they have finished growing and at this stage you might as well dry them off indoors. Worst case is that they start to sprout because of the rain!

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Permalink Reply by Mark on October 5, 2010 at 11:34

When storing any dried bean for culinary use make sure you freeze them and then re-dry them if you don't you'll end up with a jar crawling with dried bean beetles - not so much of a problem with beans kept for sowing but not too nice if you intend to eat them. Freezing kills the pest before it develops.

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Permalink Reply by Clairetweet on October 5, 2010 at 11:39

Ooh! Dried bean beetles. I didn't know they existed, now they are my new fear!


Mark said:

When storing any dried bean for culinary use make sure you freeze them and then re-dry them if you don't you'll end up with a jar crawling with dried bean beetles - not so much of a problem with beans kept for sowing but not too nice if you intend to eat them. Freezing kills the pest before it develops.

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Permalink Reply by Mark on October 5, 2010 at 11:55

Sorry but Bruchid beetle – Bruchus rufimanus Images
Bruchid beetles belong to a group of insects originating in Africa and the Mediterranean area. They were probably bought to the U.K. in imported seed where they pupate. Adults appear in spring or summer, usually when temperatures exceed 20oC for a number of days and lay their eggs on the flowers, young pods or seed of bean crops, boring into the young pod and seed. Larvae pupate and hatch into adults which bore out of the seed leaving characteristic exit holes which ruin their appearance. Bruchid beetle damage can reduce seed germination, especially if establishment conditions are poor as solutes leak from the endosperm through the exit holes, encouraging soil fungi and damping off diseases. However, the main effect of bruchid beetle damage is to reduce the quality of beans grown for human consumption. These are mainly spring beans, especially the tannin free varieties.

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Permalink Reply by Kath Middleton on October 6, 2010 at 13:13

Although I know they exist I've never had an infestation of these beetles so I wouldn't panic yet! And I've grown loads of types for many years.

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Permalink Reply by Mark on October 6, 2010 at 14:37

It's only when you store them to eat that this becomes apparent. Affected beans will normally still germinate and as their life-cycle means they only come out when beans have been in store for several months if you are eating fresh beans you'd hardly notice. We do have our own native one that any grower of broad beans will be familiar with . You know when you see brown specks on the bean when podding - that's the broad bean bruchid beetle. As the RHS says Biology •Adult broad bean seed beetles lay eggs on broad bean pods in early summer.
•After hatching, the grubs bore into the developing seeds but are too small to be noticed in beans picked for eating. However, the grubs continue to feed in those beans allowed to develop as dry seeds.
•In the warmth of a house, adult beetles emerge during winter, leaving tell-tale circular exit holes in the seed coats.

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Permalink Reply by Kath Middleton on October 7, 2010 at 12:37

I've seen beetle holes on broadies that I'm saving for seed - I just discard any with little holes in. But I've not come upon them in any french bean and I save lots both for seed and for eating.

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Permalink Reply by Dim Sum Gardener on October 9, 2010 at 16:28

Ughhh.....I shall use a magnifying glass to inspect the few saved beans I have! Thank you for the beetle warning Mark, and Kath I might try freezing some shelly beans from my French bean harvest.

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