[fallen angel]

Does anyone here grow them? Are they like growing runners? How do you store them?

Thanks

[mumofstig]

look here for red beans from garden organic 
http://www.organiccatalogue.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_22_44_69&products_id=129

[fallen angel]

Thanks mumofstig does anyone here actually grow them though? As I am after some growing and storing advice?

Many thanks

[Yorkie]

Have you tried the search facility?  I'm sure people have asked this before.

[compostqueen]

I grow the dwarf bean Canadian Wonder which is a red dwarf bean which I then dry and eat as red kidney bean. They are very easy to grow, low growing and easy.  They will dry on the plant if the weather is good. If not, I pull up the entire plant and hang them up in my shed with something underneath to catch the beans.  The mice love them, however, so make sure your shed is mouseproof

I now have a drier machine so dried them at home last year. I store them in jars in the kitchen and presoak them overnight before using them for cooking.

[fallen angel]

Thanks Compostqueen can I ask do you still pick them to encourage more like you do with runners?

Many thanks

[Swing Swang]

Grow them like runners/french pole beans.

Many immigrants would just bring a handful of beans with them on their return from holiday, from their gardens, or the local deli in more cosmopolitan areas (rather than in packets). Have had good success in the bast with 'kidney-type-beans' of all colours from a variety of sources - red, grey, white, yellow, mottled etc etc

You need to let the beans mature on the plants to reach their full size and develop properly (otherwise they'd be flagolet-type-red-kidney-beans instead of borlotti-type-red-kidney-beans which would have to be eaten fresh and which wouldn't store), so unfortunately you only get one 'flush' of pods.

You could pick some of the early pods and eat them like french beans, but your overall yield of dried beans would be reduced as the first flush always seems the most prolofic to me, and there's always the risk of them not maturing in time in the event of an early autumn frost.

Enjoy you beans, just stay downwind!

SS

[Swing Swang]

Store them dry like you would when saving your runner bean seed from one year to the next.

If you are not 100% sure of how dry they are then dry roast some rice at a low temperature and put it in a cloth bag in a sealed container with the dried beans. Remove rice after a few days, dry it off in a low oven, and put back in the bean jar. Repeat a couple of times. The rice will suck out the excess moisture like silica gel. Can't say I've ever bothered as even during wet autumns and humid garages there's usually enough space in the airing cupboard to dry out my beans sufficiently.

SS

[fallen angel]

Thank you I have ordered the ones in the link from mumofstig so fingers crossed they arrive in plenty of time for me to plant. I figured I dried them and dried them untill I think their dry then dry them some more