Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: peter168 on July 10, 2011, 13:00

Title: Butter Beans
Post by: peter168 on July 10, 2011, 13:00

tried growing butter beans this year and they are outstripping the runners and french beans in growth and flower. Didnt expect this! so didnt read up on how and when to harvest any clues? thanks




edit to change text from blue, which some members find difficult to read

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: mumofstig on July 10, 2011, 13:13

what seeds did you plant?

I've grown this one http://www.seedsofitaly.com/product/269

and it grows like a runner bean.
Pick them when the pods ar full and fat to eat fresh, or when the pods start to dry, if you want to dry them for winter use

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: stompy on July 11, 2011, 09:53

I really really really like butter beans, they're my favourite of all the legumes (even better than peas) but didn't think we would be able to grow them here!

Do they have any special requirements?

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: Ralphy on July 11, 2011, 10:27

jelous! i love butter beans, everything i've read says they're impossable to grow here, Well done!

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: mumofstig on July 11, 2011, 12:31

This chap grew them ok in Leicestershire :)
I grew them like runners, but ecause you have to wait for the pods to swell and ripen, you don't get as big a crop as you do picking green beans.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/2007/10/spagna-blanco-butterbeans.html

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: Pompey Spud on July 11, 2011, 12:42

Where did you buy the seeds from MoS?
I never knew you could grow these here. Excellent.

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: mumofstig on July 11, 2011, 12:44

see my link above   :nowink:

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: plum crumble on July 11, 2011, 12:52

oooh  :tongue2: I never knew you could grow them here either!! Thanks for the link Mum, I shall investigate for next year!!

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: stompy on July 11, 2011, 13:00

I wonder if i can get some this year still plant them and get a crop?

I have a spare corner in my greenhouse for a minni wigwam.  :unsure:

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: Pompey Spud on July 11, 2011, 13:04

Didnt look at all the link...lol
Franchi seeds.

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: Trillium on July 11, 2011, 14:25

I've not heard of them before. How do they taste and how do you cook them?

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: mumofstig on July 11, 2011, 14:29

Trillium, Google seems to think American's would call them lima beans, if that helps  :)

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: stompy on July 11, 2011, 14:29

Quote

I've not heard of them before. How do they taste and how do you cook them?

I have only had them out of tins, so cook them in the brine that they come in.
Also had them in paella on holiday and in meals at restraunts.

I would have thought you just cook them like any other bean, you might need to take the skin off the bean as you do with later broad beans.

They ave a creamy starchy (in a good way) texture.

Beat me to the posting Mos.

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: Ralphy on July 11, 2011, 17:00

when dried, soak them overnight, and hard boil for a few minutes, then simmer til tender, or add them to slowcooked casseroles and stews, the do a great job of absorbing all the tasty stock when cooking and thicken things up nicely!

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: Trillium on July 12, 2011, 04:02

Well, why didn't you call them lima beans in the first place instead of trying to confuse me   :D

I just love lima beans, particularly the smaller ones. We can buy them frozen at the shops.

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: mumofstig on July 12, 2011, 08:05

You can get them dried here, but most people get them tinned, then they are very soft......
sometimes even mushy.

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: Trillium on July 12, 2011, 19:14

A shame no one freezes them because they're very nice that way.

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: AnneB on July 12, 2011, 20:29

You can leave some varieties of runner bean to mature and they will turn into butter beans.  I am growing The Czar from Real Seeds and intend to leave a few plants to turn into butter beans.

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: mumofstig on July 12, 2011, 22:38

they do dry ok and cook nicely, but they're not as big as the Spagna blanco :)

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: sarajane on July 12, 2011, 23:04

After eating Beans Gigantia in Crete a couple of years ago I bought a kilo of the beans to bring home to cook (actually only wanted half a pound to try but ended up with a kilo  -  kinda got lost in translation).

Anyway, found about a dozen in the cupboard in a jar in May, sowed them, as you do, and hey presto  -  they are already far higher than my runners and have small white flowers on them. 

Fingers crossed they polinate and grow.  I just soak them overnight, boil for 45 mins and then put into the oven covered with homemade tomato and garlic sauce  Yummy :)

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: peter168 on July 14, 2011, 22:01

Quote from: mumofstig on July 10, 2011, 13:13

what seeds did you plant?

I've grown this one http://www.seedsofitaly.com/product/269

and it grows like a runner bean.
Pick them when the pods ar full and fat to eat fresh, or when the pods start to dry, if you want to dry them for winter use

ive been looking for the packet ??? another of my problems i always put it somewhere i can find it later but never do! no idea what type but Franchi maybe.

thanx for all the advice they really are doing well quite fat pods on them already and stacks of flower.

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: compostqueen on July 14, 2011, 23:50

I'm growing Czar which is a runner bean grown for it's "butter" beans. It's an 1892 variety apparently

Title: Re: Butter Beans
Post by: AnneB on July 16, 2011, 10:21

I will have to investigate Spagna blanco as recommended by mumofstig for next year.  Sounds impressive.