"Andy" wrote in message
...

"sam" wrote in message
...
I pulled up the canes this morning and composted the vines.It has been a
good season and the last feed was good.If the weather had been warmer
there
would have been more, but there's plenty in the freezer to last us a
while.
Besides I am trying Marshalls over-wintering onion sets for lifting in
May
when this year's crop will be running out,and I need the ground.It is
the
first time for me to try this, so I would be glad to hear of anyone's
experience with them. Thanks.

Sam

I managed to get approximately 2lb of beans per plant this year. I don't
know if that's good or bad, but we did
have to resort to giving them away in the end1

How many plants?
What about stored stock (winter/spring)? Got enough frozen/dried?

--
J.P. in London.

"JP in Lon" wrote in message
...
"Andy" wrote in message
...

"sam" wrote in message
...
I pulled up the canes this morning and composted the vines.It has been a
good season and the last feed was good.If the weather had been warmer
there
would have been more, but there's plenty in the freezer to last us a
while.
Besides I am trying Marshalls over-wintering onion sets for lifting in
May
when this year's crop will be running out,and I need the ground.It is
the
first time for me to try this, so I would be glad to hear of anyone's
experience with them. Thanks.

Sam

I managed to get approximately 2lb of beans per plant this year. I don't
know if that's good or bad, but we did
have to resort to giving them away in the end1

How many plants?
What about stored stock (winter/spring)? Got enough frozen/dried?

Eight plants 15lb total, not including 1lb I let go to seed. I have blanched
and frozen as much as possible, but don't have a large freezer. I'm not sure
how
to dry these things. Can you eat the mature beans? I've tried podding some
and letting
them dry on the windowsill but I'm not too sure about them, some of them are
discoloured and soft, others are showing slight signs of mould, others have
split.
I'm wondering whether I'll get one good bean out of them at this rate

:-(

Andy.

The message
from "Andy" contains these words:

Eight plants 15lb total, not including 1lb I let go to seed. I have blanched
and frozen as much as possible, but don't have a large freezer. I'm
not sure
how
to dry these things.

Just wait until the pods start to go manky, and take them off the vine.
Lay them out on a flat surface, or hang them up in a net bag - the sort
of thing onions etc come in.

When the pods are dry and papery, take the beans out and leave them on a
tray in the airing-cupboard or somewhere warm and dry.

Can you eat the mature beans? I've tried podding some
and letting
them dry on the windowsill but I'm not too sure about them, some of them are
discoloured and soft, others are showing slight signs of mould, others have
split.

Assuming they're properly dried, yes. The skins are a bit tough, so it
pays to take the skins off after rehydrating them. (soak for at least 24
hours) I don't know what the toxicity of the uncooked bean is (I'd guess
it is low), so you'd be wise to cook them as for red kidney beans - i.e.
boil for 20 minutes at least.

I'm wondering whether I'll get one good bean out of them at this rate

Well, I use them in soup, and I use those fodder beans which are like
small broad beans - fresh, instead of broad beans, or dried and
rehydrated, as a dish similar to peas pudding.

--
Rusty

JP in Lon wrote:

What about stored stock (winter/spring)? Got enough frozen/dried?


and let's not forget salting!