Author Topic: Gigandes (gigantes) beans (Read 15068 times)

Jeannine · « **Reply #20 on:** July 14, 2011, 18:36:33 »

Climbers for sure,, white huge beans look like butter beans about 1 1/2 inches on average but I have had them bigger , they don;t grow at all like broad beans XX Jeannine

goodlife · « **Reply #21 on:** July 14, 2011, 20:46:28 »

The reason I asked is that I ordered some from Creek deli..and they were supposed to be white gigantes..and what did they send me...gigantes- elefantes from Kastoria..and they are 'coloured'..looks like ordinary runner bean seeds to me... ::) They do have P.G.I logo on them so should be 'protected' for the location.. ::) But I'm not convinced.. :-\
Anyway..I've let them company know about their mistake and hopefully they send me the white ones...
Does anybody know anything about these 'coloured' gigantes beans ?
OH AND!...thanks a lot mentioning all these fancy beans and things..makes me want them too... ::) ;)

Jeannine · « **Reply #22 on:** July 14, 2011, 21:20:23 »

No problem, there is a colored variety. Kastoria grows some of the biggest Gigantes because of it's soil. You need to ask for white ones but the coloured ones are good in there own right.

I have grown both.

XX Jeannien

grannyjanny · « **Reply #23 on:** July 14, 2011, 21:33:01 »

The knowledge on this site never ceases to amaze me ;D.

Jeannine · « **Reply #24 on:** July 16, 2011, 06:02:33 »

I went t5o dwontown Vancouver today and collectedv imported Gigantes beans from the greek shop, they are quite big but not the huge ones I have had in the past. I will do a germin ation test and see how they go'

I also got some huge lima beans.I read anb article about them and will give the info later as I don't have time just now.they are Peruvian Jumbo Limas, quite differnt to regular limas

Then I picked up some enormous fava beans, I have never seen them this big.

I will test all three and let you know

XX Jeannine

flowerofshona2007 · « **Reply #25 on:** July 16, 2011, 23:17:03 »

Hi Jeannine,
Your in luck i have some from a swap here they are the big fat ones, send me yor address and they will be on there way over :)

Jeannine · « **Reply #26 on:** July 17, 2011, 17:46:21 »

My hero!!! Pm on the way, thank you XX Jeannine

flowerofshona2007 · « **Reply #27 on:** July 17, 2011, 18:07:21 »

no problem hun its the lest i can do for you !!!!! there packed ready to go.

Jeannine · « **Reply #28 on:** July 18, 2011, 02:48:09 »

Yay... thank you a million, but I am going to send you something in return,you pick ..something for raised beds in the garden maybe...mmm shall think on that one. there has to be something here you can't get there..how about some of my mini dwarf tomatoes for the windowsill?

XX Jeannine

chriscross1966 · « **Reply #29 on:** July 27, 2011, 09:40:51 »

I emailed a local greek deli adn apparently they will ahve som eof the "massive" variety in soon as dried beans.... given my ongoing bean disaster this year I will save them for next eyar probably, but if there's plenty in a a packet I'll be passing them round :-)

Jeannine · « **Reply #30 on:** July 27, 2011, 16:06:28 »

Sadly the Greek deli I went to thought theirs were massive but I have seen much bigger ones.
I did buy 2lbs.
XX Jeannine

goodlife · « **Reply #31 on:** July 27, 2011, 16:26:13 »

Well..I got some from Greek deli too.. ;D ;D..but as I don't have any previous experience of them in size wise can't really say if they are 'the real deal'..
They are bigger than runnerbean seeds though...and my runner seeds are BIG..
Chris..were yours pre-bagged?
Mine are Arosis brand...they do those 'in sauce gigantes' too..so I was thinking if they use the biggest and best beans to put in jar and left overs/ seconds are then packed into 'dry beans' bags...?
link for their site..www.arosis.gr

chriscross1966 · « **Reply #32 on:** July 27, 2011, 16:32:27 »

Don't know if they're Arosis, just they're big apparently...

chrisc

Jeannine · « **Reply #33 on:** July 27, 2011, 16:50:25 »

The ones I have may be 1 1/4 inch.

chriscross1966 · « **Reply #34 on:** August 11, 2011, 12:38:16 »

PIcked mine up a couple of days ago.... they seem to be big butterbeans.... will try cooking a few to see how they cook up....

chrisc

Jeannine · « **Reply #35 on:** August 11, 2011, 16:52:55 »

Mine didn't germinate.

They come in two sizes but the names get mixed up.. Giant.. and Elephant but lots of times the delis refer to them all as Elephantes. They go through a grading system and the very big ones have to be too big to pass through a certain size hole, the Giant ones have a smaller hole, apparently most don't make the biggest hole. My investigations have told me that most of them don't make it into any commercial packets fro export, but they are sometimes available in small supplies in Greece.

I sat and sorted the 1kg that I bought the other day and they varied very much, frankly few of them would have made it as Giants .

I have been on the Arosis site and it didn't offer the true Elephants either although the ones I got where not Arosis.

So the mystery continues.

I now have 9 small packets of beans marked Gigantes from various swaps etc, also I have Spagna and White Enorma and a few other white runners. I think this coming year I am going to plant the lot all in a row apart from the ones that flowers of Shona sent , then I am going to let the crosspollinate ans see what I get over the next few years just for fun.. then I shall have Jeannines Big White Runner Beans or some equally appropriate name and then stop chasing the elusive Elephantes.

Flowers of Shona beans I will isolate.

Either that or I am off to Greece next year to the correct area in bean season!!

XX Jeannine

Jeannine · « **Reply #36 on:** August 11, 2011, 16:54:13 »

Chris don't forget the term Butterbean is used different in the UK to other parts of the world.

1066 · « **Reply #37 on:** August 11, 2011, 18:11:22 »

I've just been sorting some photos out, and came across this pic I took (for reference) of my "gigandes" germinating -

[attachment=1]

1066 · « **Reply #38 on:** September 23, 2011, 12:21:47 »

Well it looks like my batch got cross pollinated last year and look even smaller! They are butter bean size, not Gigandes size, So I won't put my Gigandes up for swapping. :'(

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Author Topic: Gigandes (gigantes) beans (Read 15068 times)