Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Eating and Drinking => Cooking, Storing and Preserving => Topic started by: bisgedyn on September 26, 2010, 15:01

Title: Best way to store and cook beans from inside runner beans?
Post by: bisgedyn on September 26, 2010, 15:01

I've read articles/posts online about cooking and storing the beans from inside runners.

Does anyone have experience of this?

It seems you can leave them on the plant until the beans rattle and then store the beans in a jar for cooking or in a packet(?) for sowing next year.

But also - if I want to eat the actual beans from inside fresh (and cooked) rather than stored, when should/can I pick them, how should they be cooked and do they taste good? Any recipes?

I've also read that you can freeze the beans - any tips on this (when to pick, blanching etc)?

Thanks - any suggestions much appreciated.

Title: Re: Best way to store and cook beans from inside runner beans?
Post by: Lee1978 on September 26, 2010, 18:03

With regards to eating the actual bean from inside the runner, if you wait until the bean has actually swollen to a decent size-you can tell by looking or giving the runner a squeeze. To cook them i would boil or steam as you would a broadbean. As for taste i personally don't like it.

For freezing i used to destring then blanch and freeze but i was advised by another gardener to simply clean, destring then freeze and it works better i find as you don't get the beans sticking together ;)

Title: Re: Best way to store and cook beans from inside runner beans?
Post by: Yorkie on September 26, 2010, 19:03

Re. freezing, if you plan to store them more than a few weeks you should always blanch.  It destroys certain enzymes.

See here for more information on freezing foods:
http://www.allotment-garden.org/allotment_foods/Storing_the_Surplus_Freezing.php

Title: Re: Best way to store and cook beans from inside runner beans?
Post by: Madame Cholet on September 26, 2010, 21:19

I store berlotti beans by leaving them to dry and shrink in the kitchen, then put in a kilner or preserving jar.

Title: Re: Best way to store and cook beans from inside runner beans?
Post by: pigeonpie on September 26, 2010, 21:35

I was away last year during the main runner bean producing time and hubbie was so busy on the farm he didn't have time to pick them.  When I got home I stripped the plants of all the beans and took the inner beans out of all of the bigger, tougher looking beans.  Then I bunged them in the freezer and used them throughout the winter, usually by just throwing them in a stew but sometimes just boiled them up like broad beans.  They had a tendency to look a bit grey when cooked but tasted fine.