dried beans

[gordonsveg]

I have some french beans that have grown really big,if I leave them to dry on the vine will I be able to use them in cooking or do they have a speciel process to go through?

[gordonsveg]

[artichoke]

This is what I always do with beans that have got away - leave them to grow on (I know it inhibits further flowering to a certain extent) until pod turns brown and dry, then pod the beans for use in casseroles, soups, bean salads and so on.

I do spread them out on a tray in a dry place to carry on drying, before putting them in a container. And we are warned to make sure they boil thoroughly before we eat them to rid them of any unhealthy effects.

If you read the Gigandes thread you will see that others blanch and freeze them. The main thing in my opinion is not to let good food go to waste. Dried runner beans are particularly tasty and filling, and I like all the french beans as well.

In french markets in the autumn, "fresh" podded beans of all sorts and colours are on sale at quite high prices as they are appreciated more than in UK.

[Bugloss2009]

If you can eat them fresh, not dried, they're much nicer. and impossible to get in the shops, apart from those little tins with gloopy beans inside