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Post by mnjrutherford on Sept 17, 2012 7:30:37 GMT -5
I want to harvest some of my rattlesnakes for dried beans. Then, it occurred to me, I don't have a clue how best to do this. I brought in several pounds the other day that ranged from green but with the shell desiccating to crispy brown.
The green ones had fruit that was pale green. The ones that were yellowing had fruits that were showing signs of developing markings. The ones that were deeper yellow, almost brown, had very definite markings. The ones there were "crispy" had beans that were mostly shriveled and even moldy. Only a few of those were the hard, shiny things that I think of as being a good dried bean.
After shelling, I put them on a towel in a cookie sheet to dry down. As they dry they are all taking on the markings and reducing in size. So far, that's what I was expecting and hoping would occur. I may have about 4 or 5 lbs of dried beans by the end.
As for seed saving, I held back a few pods, all of which had 8 beans or more. I haven't shelled them out just yet. I'm watching how they do within the pod following harvest. There are plenty more on the fence that are of this size and quality if I blow it with these.
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Post by raymondo on Sept 17, 2012 16:49:58 GMT -5
I find I get good dry beans as long as the pod has begun to dry down, evidenced by its going soft and leathery to the touch. The colours and markings may not develop as strongly as those left to mature longer on the vine but they still make good eating over winter. I hope to have enough Rattlesnake this year to eat as fresh pods and have some for drying down for winter use though I'll be growing plenty of dwarf beans for this purpose.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Sept 18, 2012 16:20:09 GMT -5
Mine are drying down pretty well thus far. I added another half pound to the pile and several more pods of seed. Thanks for the encouragement Ray!
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Post by mnjrutherford on Sept 24, 2012 18:45:38 GMT -5
Harvested another large basket, many are "mummified", but I have enough hulled already that I should add at least a pound after dry down and the basket is only half empty. I've also added a lot more seed.
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Post by diane on Sept 24, 2012 20:12:14 GMT -5
An allotment holder dries his beans on the strings that the plants grew up. He pulls at the roots. As the plant dries, the leaves fall off, and all the pods are left to dry. There is good air circulation so they don't go mouldy.
This wouldn't work everywhere of course. Some places get summer rain. Or, maybe it would be OK even then, as the pods would dry quickly.
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Post by oxbowfarm on Sept 24, 2012 20:33:58 GMT -5
Here's the new dry beans I've got harvested from the growing on the corn this year. They are all pole varieties, some of them a bit too vigorous growing to safely climb short season flint corn. But we made it work. Clockwise from the top, Octarora Cornfield, True Red Cranberry, Barnett, Dolloff, and Blackcoat Runnerbean.  |
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Post by castanea on Sept 24, 2012 20:35:07 GMT -5
What is the history of Octarora Cornfield?
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Post by oxbowfarm on Sept 25, 2012 5:48:18 GMT -5
What is the history of Octarora Cornfield? I got it this spring from the local Seed Savers Exchange bean collector, it was introduced to the SSE by William Woys Weaver and this is what he said about it "4-5' vine, warm cream-yellow seed with red-brown zebra markings, an old Chester Co., PA cornfield bean pre-dating 1840, grown for many years among the Quakers of Sadsbury Meeting, Chester Co., PA, the late Mary Larkin Thomas" For myself, grown here it was an interesting bean. It was the best bean of the five for growing on my short flint corn without dragging them down. It was also incredibly fast germinating and the first of the beans to dry down. I don't have enough to taste them yet unfortunately. There is some variability in the variety some of the pods are green and many of them are green with red streaking, also some differences in pod shape. |
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Post by ferdzy on Sept 25, 2012 6:53:37 GMT -5
We grew the Dolloff this year. Very impressed so far, although we haven't eaten any yet. At least not from dried. We ate a few as shellies and thought they were good, and would make a good lima bean substitute - right shape, very similar flavour, but more prolific than any lima we've managed to grow so far.
The Octarora beans sound interesting. I'm always interested in Quaker heirlooms. That's one I hadn't heard of before.
That now leaves Barnett as the one bean up there I haven't heard of before.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2012 15:49:21 GMT -5
Oxbow, did your Blackcoat Runners have tuber roots? I've been reading that certain coccineus strains have small tubers that can be dug up and eaten, though not all varieties have them.
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Post by oxbowfarm on Sept 25, 2012 21:16:07 GMT -5
Oxbow, did your Blackcoat Runners have tuber roots? I've been reading that certain coccineus strains have small tubers that can be dug up and eaten, though not all varieties have them. I'm not sure yet. I have every intention to dig them up and look for tubers but there are still lots of unripe pods and green leaves so I haven't gone looking yet. One of the plants was white flowered and white seeded, may be a mutation or a cross, most likely a cross. I'm planning on growing it out separately to see if it will become a stable "Whitecoat" |
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Post by 12540dumont on Oct 9, 2012 11:51:25 GMT -5
I tasted the Resilient Bean Breeder's yesterday and they were really excellent. I'm smitten. These are early, productive and tasty!
I'm off to harvest the Ireland Creek Annie's.
Red Swan still not ready.
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Post by bunkie on Oct 9, 2012 12:03:58 GMT -5
holly, when did you plant the red swan? we've found it to be relatively early bean, very productive.
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baby daddy
gardener
Laugh when you can, Apoligize when you should, Let go of the things you can't change.
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Post by baby daddy on Oct 9, 2012 18:35:29 GMT -5
nice looking mess of beans..
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Post by oxbowfarm on Oct 9, 2012 22:27:45 GMT -5
Just an FYI, Blackcoat Runnerbean did not have noticeable tubers as grown by me here in Chemung County, NY. I've yet to ever see a runnerbean tuber.
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