Good evening,

The runner beans are growing nicely; however I've got a number of them that
have grown too large and I haven't picked them because they'll almost
certainly be 'stringy'.

Is it best to remove them and throw them on the compost heap, or if I let
them grow can I eat the actual bean? - in the same way as you can eat whole
broad beans when they're very young or leave them to grow into actual beans?

Many thanks,


Andrew

"Andrew Ross" wrote in message
...
Good evening,

The runner beans are growing nicely; however I've got a number of them
that
have grown too large and I haven't picked them because they'll almost
certainly be 'stringy'.

Is it best to remove them and throw them on the compost heap, or if I
let
them grow can I eat the actual bean? - in the same way as you can eat
whole
broad beans when they're very young or leave them to grow into actual
beans?

Many thanks,


Andrew

Best to remove them so the energy will be directed into the development
of the rest of your crop.

Later in the season you can leave a few go to seed for next years crop.

Regards,
Emrys Davies.

The message
from "Andrew Ross" contains these words:

The runner beans are growing nicely; however I've got a number of them that
have grown too large and I haven't picked them because they'll almost
certainly be 'stringy'.

Is it best to remove them and throw them on the compost heap, or if I let
them grow can I eat the actual bean?

You *CAN* eat them, but the skins are very tough. Leave some at the end
of the season and try them - or save them for next year's seed. It's
best to pick beans before the vine invests lots of energy in bringing
the beans to maturity - energy which would be better invested in fresh
youn beans.

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

"Andrew Ross" wrote in message
...
: Good evening,
:
: The runner beans are growing nicely; however I've got a number of them
that
: have grown too large and I haven't picked them because they'll almost
: certainly be 'stringy'.
:
: Is it best to remove them and throw them on the compost heap, or if I let
: them grow can I eat the actual bean? - in the same way as you can eat
whole
: broad beans when they're very young or leave them to grow into actual
beans?
:
: Many thanks,
:
You're not supposed to eat them without boiling them first but I know some
do eat them and have no harmful effects. You can allow them to mature on the
plant to keep the seed for next year or remove them to encourage more flower
and fresh beans

On Mon, 15 Aug 2005 20:26:46 +0000 (UTC), "Robert" wrote:
"Andrew Ross" wrote
: if I let
: them grow can I eat the actual bean? - in the same way as you can eat
whole
: broad beans when they're very young or leave them to grow into actual
beans?

You're not supposed to eat them without boiling them first

For at least 10 mins ??
I could be wrong but I think I read somewhere that that applied to the
coloured beans, the red/black/pink seeds only.
I think the white ones (Czar etc) are ok.

but I know some
do eat them and have no harmful effects.

Depends upon quantity perhaps ?
The warnings that I read were addressed to vegetarians and sprouting-
seed eaters who do that sort of thing often !

On Mon, 15 Aug 2005 20:26:46 +0000 (UTC), "Robert" wrote:
You're not supposed to eat them without boiling them first

I did some googling ( because I am growing various beans both for
green beans and for seed) :---

Phytohaemagglutinin
Red Kidney Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) Poisoning,
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~mow/chap43.html

Sounds frightening !
but section 6 of that page seems to suggest that it is not common,
and 9 suggests that it may not have been due to the beans anyway !

In article ,
(WaltA) writes:
| On Mon, 15 Aug 2005 20:26:46 +0000 (UTC), "Robert" wrote:
| You're not supposed to eat them without boiling them first
|
| I did some googling ( because I am growing various beans both for
| green beans and for seed) :---
|
| Phytohaemagglutinin
| Red Kidney Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) Poisoning,
| http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~mow/chap43.html
|
| Sounds frightening !
| but section 6 of that page seems to suggest that it is not common,
| and 9 suggests that it may not have been due to the beans anyway !

The reason that it is rare is that the toxin occurs in mature
beans, and much less or not at all in immature ones, and they
require extensive cooking to make them palatable. A red kidney
bean boiled for a mere 10 minutes is edible but not eatable!

The one normal circumstance that can cause the problem is beans
cooked in a slow cooker on low, where the temperature may stay
at 70-80 Celcius for long enough to cook the bean - which is a
good many hours. Hence the need to boil them first, or use the
cooker on high.

I don't know when the toxin develops, but I doubt VERY much that
any bean that is still eatable raw or lightly cooked contains
enough of the toxin to matter. That is certainly true of broad
and soy beans.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren wrote:
mature
beans,
snip,
and they
require extensive cooking to make them palatable.

I think that you have never tasted a fresh mature bean seed straight
off the plant in late summer/early autumn !
I think you are still in that time warp when you discovered the
hessian sack of dried beans in the back of the covered waggon that
your granpappy had just driven across the high plains on his way to
the gold fields of California

The one normal circumstance that can cause the problem is beans
cooked in a slow cooker on low, where the temperature may stay
at 70-80 Celcius for long enough to cook the bean - which is a
good many hours. Hence the need to boil them first, or use the
cooker on high.

Yep, I'd go with that,, if we were talking about long-dried, to within
an inch of their lives, pulses.
but I dont think that the OP had that kind in mind ?

That is certainly true of broad

that may be so, but it aint in context

and soy beans.

dunno, not tried them, dont think they do too well in our climate,
Some folk promote new cultivars that pander to modern desires, but I
still await actual results.

In article ,
WaltA wrote:
Nick Maclaren wrote:
mature
beans,
snip,
and they
require extensive cooking to make them palatable.

I think that you have never tasted a fresh mature bean seed straight
off the plant in late summer/early autumn !

Yes, I have. Runner, French and broad. In all cases, they are
hard (though not like dried ones) and taste strongly 'starchy',
which few people like. While they need less cooking to eliminate
those characteristics than dried ones do, it is still 10-15 minutes
of boiling (rather than the 30-45 minutes for even soaked dried
beans).

Are you sure that you are not confusing fully swollen beans with
mature ones? There is a considerable difference.

What I don't know is whether the swollen but immature beans contain
much of the toxin. It is very possible that it develops with full
maturity - or it is possible that it develops earlier.

I think you are still in that time warp when you discovered the
hessian sack of dried beans in the back of the covered waggon that
your granpappy had just driven across the high plains on his way to
the gold fields of California

How did you guess his occupation? :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.