On Tue, 15 Aug 2006 21:37:36 +0100, "shazzbat"
wrote:

We're growing these for the first time this year, and we've got lots of
striking red-streaked pods, and we want to harvest the beans for use later
in the year, as opposed to using the complete pods at an earlier stage. At
what point do we pick them?

Once the pods begin to turn brown, but before they split open! If you
pick them too soon the beans themselves will not have dried off and
will not keep so well. Of course you can cook and eat the loose beans
fresh, when they will take less cooking time.

Pam in Bristol