I've been waiting for my beans (Trail of Tears) to dry on the plant but as we've had rain for the last 4 days I'm wondering should I pick all the pods and dry them slowly in the oven? Would that make sense? if so should I dry them in the pods or shell them and then dry them? (how do you know when they're dry enough for storage?)
Sorry if it's a bit basic but I've never done it before.
Thanks.
Don't heat them or you may kill them. Let them dry naturally. I'm not much good at this, but others will doubtless have more experience.
I couldn't get Trail of Tears to grow this year, but fortunately I had some left-over Cosse Violette seed, which flourished.
I would say airing cupboard at most
Leave them on the plant to dry, the only enemy is birds.
I have to say that in very wet weather, beans I have left outside to "dry" have rotted. This happened to quite a lot last autumn, so I am going to pick the pods off fairly soon and spread on trays in airing cupboard while I gradually get through the pods.
My dwarf borlottis have already bitten the dust this year - stained and soft after weeks of rain.
Don't leave them on the plant, as they will certainly rot.
I recommend not to pick the pods from the plant, but rather cut the plant with the pods and hang them to dry. This way the beans can use the nutrients from the plant if they need some more time to mature.
Pick the pods when they are paper dry, shell the beans and freeze them for a night to kill any living pest.
Good luck.
No beans for me this year, due to a slipped disc and too much pain to take care of my lottie. Ah well, there's always next year.
I was told by my Dutch father that he dries any type of beans by threading them, using a needle and stout thread , passing the needle through the pod near the stalk. When you have them all thus festooned, they are hung in a warm place to dry. Traditionally in a large farmhouse fireplace, but he now uses the airing cupboard. He still does this every year, as has everybody he knows in Groningen for generations, and cant believe that everybody in England doesnt do the same. I asked him about letting them dry on the plant in situ, and he said that wouldnt get them dry enough, and some would spill on the ground. [and he thought I was mad for even asking him]. Hope this helps. Zeed
Well in the end I paniced and picked them all in torrential rain last Saturday, I've had them drying out on the kitchen table since then (this has made me hugely popular!) they are now mostly very dry, just a few to go.
I'll freeze them over night when shelled and then put in glass jars, then thay can have the damned kitchen table back, what's wrong with eating standing up anyway??? ;D ;D ;D