"fixerman" wrote in message
...

Bob Hobden Wrote:


What variety are you growing?
Not letting them get too old are you, pick them before you can see
beans
(lumps) in the pods.
Desiree (white flowered, excellent), Lady Di (red flowered, OK),
Fergie
(red, excellent if you can get them)...



I'm growing a variety called "Painted Lady". Very colourful bi-colour
red and white. I have an abundance because I could'nt resist planting
the whole packet all over the flower garden. It is very tasty but seems
to go stringy very quickly.

On your advice I shall try "Desiree" next year.

Just pick them young and freeze them. I did exactly what you did and have a
profusion of runner beans. The tempation is to leave them to get big so you
get more but picking young encourages more to grow anyway and as others have
said, no strings :0)
I have carrier bags full of runner beans in the freezer and I'l enjoy them
right through until next year and remember the glorious sunny day when I
picked them....oops....hang on.....that was a memory from 2 summers ago :-(
On a related subject. I made the first batch of plum jam last night to use
up my plums, plus on my way to the chicken food places, found a whole load
of victoria plum trees on a verge so picked about 10 lbs of them. Plum jam,
plum pickle and plum cake on its way cos I'm starting to build my winter
hoard.