Borlotti Beans.

[tim]

What is the significance of the various colours? Just stages in ripening?
The pod with the green beans is red with a green show-through, as opposed to white.

Are they all fit for eating?

Never realised that they are so fat!

[tim]

[dandelion]

Yes, all are fit for eating. They change colour as they ripen. The drier the longer they take to cook. I freeze the ones that are still green-ish.

[kitten]

Woah, they are plump aren't they  :o

Enjoy your supper!  Hopefully there'll be a picture in the recipes thread later... ?  ;)

[tim]

Thank you.

They are Daughter's - mostly grown to paint!!

But we may get a meal out of them.

[asbean]

There's a knack to feeling the pods and judging the colour so you get the green beans that are just about to turn stripey. The unopened pod on the right hand side of your pic should to at that stage. They are fantastic green, we've been eating them all through the summer and are freezing them like made.  They are the one beans that we never give away.  :P :P :P :P :P :P

[glosterwomble]

I grew borlotti beans for the first time ever this year and they didn't climb which I thought they would?? What do others peoples do? Are there different types like french beans???

[dandelion]

Borlotti beans are a type of French beans, and yes there are climbing ones and dwarf ones.

[tim]

And are they better green, asbean?

And how do you cook them?

[glosterwomble]

Borlotti beans are a type of French beans, and yes there are climbing ones and dwarf ones.

That explains it then!! My row of canes looked a bit daft with dwarf plants at the bottom of each one!  :-[

[kitten]

LOL@womble - i did exactly the same thing with our dwarf french beans ;)

[ksia]

My first year with them too.
I wasn't planning to freeze them but to put them in jars.
I assume I pod and let them dry out them pop in jar? The cook as other dried beans.
Is that correct and at what stage do I actually pick the pods - mine are at the stripey colored stage?

[asbean]

And are they better green, asbean?

And how do you cook them?

We used to do them in the oven with garlic and olive oil, but now can't be bothered and boil them like broadies etc.  They say add the salt later because salt makes them tough, but I'm not sure about that one.  The greener they are the tastier they are and tenderer.  :P :P :P :P :P

[Toadspawn]

I prefer to pick them when they are about 3-5" long and before the seeds have started to form and cook them in boiling salted water like French beans. They also freeze very well (without blanching). I only harvest dried beans at the end of the season for seed for next year and give the surplus to someone who uses a lot of different dried beans in cooking.

[Suffolklad]

i did exactly the same thing with our dwarf french beans ;)

....and I did the same with asparagus peas.......well you expect peas to climb don't you ?   :-\

[tim]

Asbean - the greener the better?

Just noticed that River Cafe says discard the green ones.......!!

What do we do??

[asbean]

Dunno about the river cafe - never heard of it. But we like 'em green.

[tim]

Couldn't have anything nicer. What are they on about??

[asbean]

Tim - my mouth watered when I saw that pic  :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P

[denis trundle]

This is the 1st year Ive grown 'em and they are excellent eating [only ever boiled em though] having some tonight with chard,pumpkin and rabbit pie ;)