[slugwarrior]

i have tried growing borlotti beans for the first time this year, think they did quite well really.  The only problem i was concerned about was that the beans themselves had brown patches over them.  it seemed to get worse as they matured. some pods went mouldy in the wet weather and the beans inside were very brown. so i guess its a degenerative thing.... i still ate them (not the mouldy ones!) and have seemed to suffered no immediate ill effects.  anyone know what it is? didn't grow nearly enough to keep so used them fresh in soups and stews. delicious. especially when combined with cavalo nero. how much more healthy and nutritious can you get.....

[compostqueen]

I've not picked mine yet but I need to get my skates on

I love them and just leave them to dry in a basket so I don't lose them all over the place. Mice love them so find a safe place if you're going to be drying them    I like to dry them as they look lovely in a glass jar in the kitchen, not that they stay there for long 

I've grown my own cannellino too

[missycat]

I grew barlotti for the first time this year and had quite a poor yield...the plants were  short and  the pods trailed on the ground where they were eaten by slugs (probably). The beans in pods that did mature had, as slugwarrior described, small brown patches.
I think the weather and my lack of preparation before planting have both affected the yield so I'm going to give them another go next year.
Is it best to prepare a bean trench as for runner beans? Is there anything else that helps increase the yield?

[Chiswickian]

are you certain the brown patches are not just the natural speckling of borlotti? The beans can tend to be various shades of brown/cream speckled. I leave the pods on the plants until they are dry then shell them and store. At this time of year the beans are maturing and the pods drying very nicely. Sometimes a pod will go mouldy - the contents are usually ok but sometimes also mouldy -  sometimes one will pop open and shed it's contents on the soil.

[slugwarrior]

hmmm fairly sure the brown patches weren't just speckles. this variety had black speckles anyway and the brown went over them as well. i am thinking it might just be due to the very damp weather we have been having.... and nowhere NEAR enough sunshine for my liking.