What's the difference...

[Jeannine]

Now I am told that snap beans are so called as you said but the opposite is string beans which have to have the string removed and with it they don't snap in half!!

Lots of these funnies with beans. A bit like the runner.. so called because it runs up and away ,like the beans that Jack grew LOL

True butter beans I think have a texture that is less dry than a lima a bit more like the greasy beans.

I enjoy the book The History of Beans which has lots of these anecdotes in.

XX Jeannine

[Jeannine]

[Jayb]

'Black Magic' runner beans look rather like black Gigantes; I haven't planted them yet. Is there a definition of what constitutes a runner bean?

Black Magic are what I call runners, P. Coccineus. I don't know if the seeds were from me Robert, as I added some to Jeannine's Parcel, but I'll be interested to know how you get on with them next year. This variety was available commercially up until the 1970's, I understand they are stringy and best grown as a drying bean.  I didn't have room to grow them this year, but hopefully next  :)

[Robert_Brenchley]

Sorry I should have been (bean) clearer... colloquially known as "Giant Butter Beans".... They do look like a massive lima bean after all.... and now RB tells us there's a black version...... gotta get me some of those :D....
chrisc

I'll probably grow them out next year. I can see a lot of hand pollination on the way!