The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: deepinthewoods on August 25, 2012, 01:35:35 pm
-
just harvested my first today, cant believe how late that is, they went in in april :o . they're about 4 weeks behind last years, but there is lots so maybe the yeild will be fair.
hows everybody elses? :tree:
-
Well done mate.
Mine are non existant , the birds had them ! Got plenty of leeks though !
Do you freeze yours or salt them ?
-
salt them russ, much nicer than frozen mush, and keep forever and ever.
oh and i make a famous picallily, mmmmmm
-
Brilliant ! I don't know anyone who salts now , all freezer mushites . Will you be leaving some plants to get the beans for drying ? Weather permitting mind .
-
i usually leave a few of the last ones but havent had much success, only got 3 beans saved last year :D
theyre good plants now mind.
salting is much maligned, but for beans is the best way imho.
-
I left my first lot outside for their first night the same night we had our last frost. Although I did plant them, they nearly all died. My second lot were mostly got by the slugs but some survived and are about 9 inches high now. One has a flowr on it but I'm not hopeful of a good crop. :-J
-
We've been lucky this year and had loads of runner beans. Normally we don't do this well.
We've even won a competition for longest runner bean at the Worcester Goat show :trophy: :excited: oh the excitement ;)
-
Mine are starting to show! They're about 2 inches long and a hairs width, but they're THERE.
When you say you salt them - assuming i get enough to store - is there any more to it than, well, salt? :dunce:
-
Nope, just salt . But don't use table salt , use sea salt or cooking salt .
If you can, use a wide top earthenware storage jar or a large glass jar .
Put a 1/2" layer of salt on the bottom of the jar , then a 1" layer of runner beans , then cover with a 1/4" layer of salt . Another layer of beans and salt and continue to the top . Pop lid on , Job done .
-
ive have used table salt, but it did end up as a brine.
just to add, you have to soak them really well before you use them. all of mine go in stews through the winter, and dont use old stringy beans!!!
-
Yes good points Dave . Table salt also has other chemicals in it !
-
doh, yes of course.
-
Usually don't do that well with runner beans but although they're late, we have loads on this year :excited:
Started picking a couple of weeks ago. They must like the rain. ::)
-
Between the weather, slugs, geese (my OH's), the weather & oh, the weather none of mine have survived - either pot-grown or direct sown ::)
-
Here is a piccie of our longest runner bean , the rest are not far behind .. Can any one beat that ?
They are not stringy either and taste heavenly.
(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g24/Misterdavid/daveholiday2012275-1.jpg)
This soilless growth medium method I'm using has produced some astounding results I'm glad I took this route to sort out my disabled gardening.
-
thats a whopper. i never let mine get that long, i eat em at about 12inches, sweet and tender.
-
After tasting a swapped bunch last year, we have them growing. Ours have a mass of flowers but no fruit yet :fc: don't think I'll get anything that size plantoid! It's a beauty :tree:
-
thats a whopper. i never let mine get that long, i eat em at about 12inches, sweet and tender.
That beastie grew from a two inch bean ( we'd picked and froze all larger ones ) to that size in the 16 days we were on holiday .
The three 17 inch long ones we ate yesterday were fantastic.