Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: KingEdward on March 26, 2009, 14:31

Title: is a string bean a runner bean? and a harricot bean a butter bean?
Post by: KingEdward on March 26, 2009, 14:31

i know i must come across really thick but i've never grown either. i love these 3inch long string beans you get in the restaurants but the packets i'm looking at are telling me they are 12inches-18 inches in length,surely not one and the same are they?any info gratefully received  ;)

Title: Re: is a string bean a runner bean? and a harricot bean a butter bean?
Post by: noshed on March 26, 2009, 14:36

I think string beans and runner beans are the same. But you might be thinking of Mange Tout peas that you get in restaurants.
Haricot beans and butter beans are different, butter beans are bigger.
That is just about the extent of my bean knowledge!

Title: Re: is a string bean a runner bean? and a harricot bean a butter bean?
Post by: GreenOwl on March 26, 2009, 14:39

I believe a string bean is a young French bean rather than a runner bean.

Haricot beans are the sort of beans you get in baked beans.

Butter beans are also known as Lima beans - not usualy grown in the UK.

Title: Re: is a string bean a runner bean? and a harricot bean a butter bean?
Post by: Ice on March 26, 2009, 14:40

I think what you are eating in a restaurant is a French Bean. 

Title: Re: is a string bean a runner bean? and a harricot bean a butter bean?
Post by: DD. on March 26, 2009, 14:43

Ice is right - my daughter manages a restaurant.

The 3" round beans are immature French Beans.

String beans are indeed flat runner beans.

Title: Re: is a string bean a runner bean? and a harricot bean a butter bean?
Post by: KingEdward on March 26, 2009, 16:22

thank you all,i can now try n decide which variety,cheers lol

Title: Re: is a string bean a runner bean? and a harricot bean a butter bean?
Post by: Salmo on March 26, 2009, 22:16

Suttons have a variety called Safari (Kenyan bean). A lot of those seen in resturants and supermarkets come from Kenya by air. Any round podded french bean picked young will do. If you really rob the plants and pick frequently they will just keep on producing. Do not let any pods get big or they will stop.

Title: Re: is a string bean a runner bean? and a harricot bean a butter bean?
Post by: Stripey_cat on March 27, 2009, 12:24

Haricot are the dried, fully ripe seeds from white-seeded French beans.  The darker seeded varieties can be eaten the same way, but look funny to some people.  Butter beans in England (especially up North) can mean the dried seeds of white-seeded runner bean varieties - Czar is the classic one for this purpose.  To grow both sorts, you stop picking immature beans towards the end of the season (maybe August some time) and let the plants ripen all the pods on them.  If they're still not very dry by the time the bad weather arrives, you need to dry them properly indoors, then you shell and store the seeds.  All dried beans need very thorough cooking (like you'd do for bought kidney beans), or you can accidentally poison yourself!

Title: Re: is a string bean a runner bean? and a harricot bean a butter bean?
Post by: madcat on March 27, 2009, 14:00

Quote from: Stripey_cat on March 27, 2009, 12:24

then you shell and store the seeds

A week in the freezer is a good idea for the stored beans too - to kill any bean weavil eggs that might be there.  I remember an article by one of those sunday paper cooks, cant remember which, telling the story of proudly fetching out his/her jar of home grown harricots to find they were moving!  Ugh!   :(

Title: Re: is a string bean a runner bean? and a harricot bean a butter bean?
Post by: Ice on March 27, 2009, 14:06

I grow a dwarf variety called Boston.  As salmo says, the more you pick the more they produce.