Author Topic: Borlotti Beans  (Read 10724 times)

sandersj89

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Borlotti Beans
« on: August 30, 2005, 16:06:59 »
First year of growing these and they look great, lovely stripy red pods and good sized beans.

The question is, when is the best time to harvest them and do I pod them stright away or leave them in the pods?

Pics here:










All I need then is some great ways to eat them!
:-))

Jerry
 
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Doris_Pinks

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Re: Borlotti Beans
« Reply #1 on: August 30, 2005, 16:10:03 »
Jerry, I always thought you leave them on the vine to dry out, then use the seed as you would any dried bean.  Have been (no pun intended) using mine when they are small just like a runner, going to leave some on to dry though.  DP
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Blog: http://www.nonsuchgardening.blogspot.com/

Moggle

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Re: Borlotti Beans
« Reply #2 on: August 30, 2005, 16:20:06 »
Glad you asked this Jerry, cos I wondered the same thing yesterday. Podded one bean and they looked un-speckled like a few in your pic. I guessed that I was too early, but it's good to know what to do now  :D

Cheers Doris  :) (I think it was you that swapped the beans with me in the first place)
Lottie-less until I can afford a house with it's own garden.

terrace max

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Re: Borlotti Beans
« Reply #3 on: August 30, 2005, 16:49:26 »
C'est magnifique Monsieur Sanders...!

(I know this is French, but I don't know any Itallian)
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ruud

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Re: Borlotti Beans
« Reply #4 on: August 30, 2005, 18:43:22 »
Bellisimo,and that is italiaan,when you use them at once you can peal them out of the pod,when you want them for storage leave them to dry inside the pods.

Robert_Brenchley

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Re: Borlotti Beans
« Reply #5 on: August 30, 2005, 21:54:23 »
Strip the plants, then when you have what you want for usingf fesh or freezing, let the rest mature. Once they've matured a few pods they'll stop flowering, but by that time they'll have grown big enough to have lots coming. That way you get the best of both worlds.

Rox

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Re: Borlotti Beans
« Reply #6 on: August 31, 2005, 10:10:10 »
I have some borlotti beans that are quite large but still completely with green pods - should I wait some more before harvesting? How long does it take for them to change colour? thanks!  :) 

fbgrifter

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Re: Borlotti Beans
« Reply #7 on: August 31, 2005, 16:12:29 »
for eating fresh do you shell them or eat the pods??
It'll be better next year

Rox

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Re: Borlotti Beans
« Reply #8 on: September 01, 2005, 13:15:23 »
I wanted to shell them fresh and eat them?

REDMAN

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Re: Borlotti Beans
« Reply #9 on: September 06, 2005, 14:27:00 »
Just had a message from Paolo at Seeds of Italy where we bought our Borlotti Seeds from (he used to have a little shop behind his deli in north London). He tells me you can freeze the podded beans as soon as they are picked(no need to blanch first).  Use them for winter recipes: minestrone, stews, soups etc. they take 40mins to cook from frozen.  Otherwise to dry them leave the pods till they are like paper, then shell them and leave them in a warm dry airy place (he recommends the airing cupboard on a teatowel!) till they are completely dried out. Hope this tip helps! 

markfield rover

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Re: Borlotti Beans
« Reply #10 on: September 16, 2005, 16:25:09 »
Borlotti Beans.
My wife and I have grown these for a couple of years and we like using them in a rich "baked bean" dish
we couldn't find any cooking info  anywhere so made the most of what was growing along
side  first shell the freshbeans place in an ovenproof dish  add a layer of chopped onions then alarge handful of toms cherry are best  and bake for forty mins  we did not use any oil   posh baked beans   

Doris_Pinks

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Re: Borlotti Beans
« Reply #11 on: September 16, 2005, 16:53:49 »
That sounds good markfield! Now waiting for enough beans to give it a try! :-\
We don't inherit the earth, we only borrow it from our children.
Blog: http://www.nonsuchgardening.blogspot.com/

vaca

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Re: Borlotti Beans
« Reply #12 on: September 17, 2005, 17:21:33 »
All I need then is some great ways to eat them!

In Italy the borlooti bean is almost synonymous with 'Pasta e Fagioli' - a soup pasta dish which uses borlotti as a base and short pasta called 'maltagliati' which means 'badly cut' as the pasta. It looks rather unsightly but it is borlotti at their best  :) It is the best winter comfort food  :D

here's a link to some information and a recipe:

http://www.abc.net.au/gondola/recipes/fagioli.htm

http://kuking.net/pictures/8_618_step8.jpg

I've never seen potatoes added to is as the above recipe sais, here's my own version:

 500 gr borlotti beans
 extra vergin olive oil
 2 bay leaves
 1 onion
 1 piece of garlic
 1 slice of bacon (can be left out for vegetarians)
 1 stock cube (or if you have fresh homemade stock, even better)
 salt, pepper
 pasta (ideally use egg pasta - can use small penne type, about 1cm long, or get egg tagliattelle, but try to get 1 cm thick ones if you can and cut them by hand to lengths of 2 cm or so)

Finely chop onion and garlic and sweat it with some olive oil in large pot, also put in the bay leaves at time. Dice the bacon and add to the pot and brown well.

Place borlotti beans in water for 24 hous if using dry beans, or use fresh (I'd use 700 grams if using fresh), add them to the pot and cook for a few minutes so they absorb some of the juices. Then add your fresh stock (about a litre), or a cube and water.

Cover and simer for about one and a half hours. But don't let it dry out, just add more stock or water if you need.

When done, take off the heat, let it cool for a while, get 1/2 of the bean soup and put it though a mouli (use one with the larger holes) straight into the 1/2 of soup which is in the pot. I never use a stick blender as it chops up all the bean peel and makes it no so smooth. You'll be left with a nice smooth soup full of whole borlotti beans. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Stir this up and bring back to the boil, the consistency should be thick but not too thick, kind of like a leek and potato soup.

Once it's boiling, add the pasta to the soup, when the pasta is done, take off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes, stir and serve in soup bowls, drizle olive oil on top and endulge  ;D ;D
« Last Edit: September 17, 2005, 17:29:17 by vaca »

Rosyred

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Re: Borlotti Beans
« Reply #13 on: September 18, 2005, 03:34:48 »
Hello, Just had a read about your allotment on Blogger and the stuff you have grown look wonderful. I've only just got my allotment, brought some seeds the other day & hope I have a good crop like you next year.

One thing what fertiliser did you use to get those results?

RR

sandersj89

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Re: Borlotti Beans
« Reply #14 on: September 18, 2005, 08:45:47 »
Hello, Just had a read about your allotment on Blogger and the stuff you have grown look wonderful. I've only just got my allotment, brought some seeds the other day & hope I have a good crop like you next year.

One thing what fertiliser did you use to get those results?

RR

I rely mainly on organic feeds, pelleted chicken manure, fish blood and bone, my own compost and well rotted farm yard manure.

I do sometimes use growmore on non edilbles too but it is not very often.

Jerry
Caravan Holidays in Devon, come stay with us:

http://crablakefarm.co.uk/

I am now running a Blogg Site of my new Allotment:

http://sandersj89allotment.blogspot.com/

sandersj89

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Re: Borlotti Beans
« Reply #15 on: September 18, 2005, 08:47:23 »
All I need then is some great ways to eat them!

In Italy the borlooti bean is almost synonymous with 'Pasta e Fagioli' - a soup pasta dish which uses borlotti as a base and short pasta called 'maltagliati' which means 'badly cut' as the pasta. It looks rather unsightly but it is borlotti at their best  :) It is the best winter comfort food  :D

here's a link to some information and a recipe:

http://www.abc.net.au/gondola/recipes/fagioli.htm

http://kuking.net/pictures/8_618_step8.jpg


Many thanks for that, will give it a go as I have a small sack of the beans!

Jerry
Caravan Holidays in Devon, come stay with us:

http://crablakefarm.co.uk/

I am now running a Blogg Site of my new Allotment:

http://sandersj89allotment.blogspot.com/

fbgrifter

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Re: Borlotti Beans
« Reply #16 on: September 19, 2005, 10:44:02 »
my borlottis are still very green....i've cloched them but will they ripen before the severe weather arrives...bearing in mind i live in the high peak?
It'll be better next year

kentishchloe

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Re: Borlotti Beans
« Reply #17 on: September 19, 2005, 10:50:09 »
I grew Borlotti and french bean Blue Lake together on one big wigwam - i actually only planted the blue lake coz i thought the borlotti had failed - but lo! after a slow start i got a huge and beautiful crop of both! I've had so many BL to eat fresh I've left all the Borlotti to dry on the vine. Will deffo try more attractive combis next yr on brand new lottie.
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Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
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