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#1
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runner beans finished
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 |
#2
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"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 The onion sets are fine, you should get a good crop especially if you plant them SOON so they get a good root system established before the cold weather sets in. They're always a bit of a gamble because a very cold or (like last year) wet winter can be the end of a lot of them, particularly if they aren't well rooted. Don't give them any fertiliser until mid March or April, as encouraging soft, tender growth isn't a good thing since it's susceptible to cold. Neil. |
#3
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"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 Andy. |
#4
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"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. |
#5
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The message
from sam contains these words: 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. Dig the roots up (if you haven't already done so) and store them in dry sand over the winter. Keep them cool, but don't allow them to freeze. Leave several buds on the stem. Plant out when you would plant out new beans, and instead of getting just one shoot, you should get several: some from the stem, and others from round the fleshy root. -- Rusty |
#6
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In article , sam
writes 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. I would like to freeze our surplus, however, I have never been satisfied with them after freezing - any advice would be welcome -- Judith Lea |
#7
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The message
from "Andy" contains these words: 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 I would expect to get a lot more than that, though admittedly, this year was rather poor. -- Rusty |
#8
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The message
from Judith Lea contains these words: I would like to freeze our surplus, however, I have never been satisfied with them after freezing - any advice would be welcome Blanch them by putting in boiling water, bring back to the boil and simmer for a minute. Freeze the beans in freezer bags, with the water they were blanched in. Exclude all air from the bag before sealing. The water prevents the beans from getting freezer-burn - which happens if they are frozen 'dry' and there is an air-space in the bag. I freeze in single portions because I live alone, but I'd freeze in units of the amount you expect to use each time. I specified freezer bags because thinner plastic will permit some water to diffuse through it. I freeze as much as possible this way - a method I learnt back in the early 'seventies at the Torrey Research Station, while on a fish-handling course. On freezer ships, some fish are blast-frozen, then sprayed with water to coat them with ice, and this prevents freezer-burn. I just modified the process to apply to vegetables, and i can assure you, it works excellently. I then do any more cooking required in the water saved with the veg - in the case of beans, I find that just bringing them to the boil is sufficient. HTH -- Rusty |
#9
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In article , Jaques
d'Alltrades writes Big useful snip.... I then do any more cooking required in the water saved with the veg - in the case of beans, I find that just bringing them to the boil is sufficient. HTH Thank you I will try your method tonight -- Judith Lea |
#10
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"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. |
#11
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The message
from Judith Lea contains these words: In article , Jaques d'Alltrades writes Big useful snip.... I then do any more cooking required in the water saved with the veg - in the case of beans, I find that just bringing them to the boil is sufficient. HTH Thank you I will try your method tonight I don't think you'll be disappointed. -- Rusty |
#12
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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 |
#13
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JP in Lon wrote:
What about stored stock (winter/spring)? Got enough frozen/dried? and let's not forget salting! |
#14
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Rusty Hinge wrote:
Dig the roots up (if you haven't already done so) and store them in dry sand over the winter. Keep them cool, but don't allow them to freeze. Leave several buds on the stem. .... and I was just about to say DON'T dig the roots up, cut the vines off and leave them as they will continue to fix atmospheric nitrogen for next year's crops (brassicacea in my rotation)! |
#15
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The message
from Derek Turner somewhat@odds contains these words: Rusty Hinge wrote: Dig the roots up (if you haven't already done so) and store them in dry sand over the winter. Keep them cool, but don't allow them to freeze. Leave several buds on the stem. .... and I was just about to say DON'T dig the roots up, cut the vines off and leave them as they will continue to fix atmospheric nitrogen for next year's crops (brassicacea in my rotation)! It's usual (and well worthwhile) to prepare a bean trench and use it for several/many years, as runner beans have few diseases which affect them in this country. In any case, the amount of fixed nitrogen in the soil can be made up over the winter quite easily by watering with urine every now and again. You don't even need to go to the expense of a watering can... -- Rusty |
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