[mjg000]

I've picked all of the Berlotti beans, some are dry, others are still red/green mottled and not dry. Should I shell all the beans and spread the individual beans out to dry or leave in the pods until the pods dry and the beans inside change colour?

Title typo edited for future search purposes.

[AnneB]

I think the orthodox advice is to leave them in the pods to dry.  This does take up a lot of space and runs the risk of the outer pods rotting if they are too close together or are not hanging up so they get air circulating.
I have taken to shelling all the beans I keep for drying or seed and putting them on a large plate on the dining room table where they get the sun in the morning.  I find they dry out nicely and are fine for cooking or sowing in the future

[snowdrops]

I’ve just picked all my borlotti & trail of tears beans & put them in their pods on newspaper in the conservatory in view of the forecast rain next week whilst I am on holiday

[DHM]

Mine were mostly dry but those that weren't were shelled then dried on an oven tray outside in the sunshine until they had shrunk to the size of the others. I did the same with the flageolets and kidney beans too.

I did notice that while most of the borlottis were white with red speckles some were mainly red with white speckles, would this be a stray bean finding its way into the seed bag or do they sometimes turn out like that?

[Plot 1 Problems]

DHM, I've had the same this year. Some were wholly red, some white and some the normal pattern. Not too fussed, they'll all taste the same when cooked

[DHM]

DHM, I've had the same this year. Some were wholly red, some white and some the normal pattern.

How bizarre!

[Potterer]

Can I just hijack the thread for a moment? I’m drying soya beans to use as seeds for next year. I seem to remember a previous post about putting beans in the freezer briefly to kill any weevils. That might have been for drying beans to eat though. Any ideas please on whether I just dry and keep the beans or freeze them?
Thanks

[Plot 1 Problems]

Can I just hijack the thread for a moment? I’m drying soya beans to use as seeds for next year. I seem to remember a previous post about putting beans in the freezer briefly to kill any weevils. That might have been for drying beans to eat though. Any ideas please on whether I just dry and keep the beans or freeze them?
Thanks

I just bung mine straight in the freezer and cook them from frozen when I need them.

[Dev]

Can I just hijack the thread for a moment? I’m drying soya beans to use as seeds for next year. I seem to remember a previous post about putting beans in the freezer briefly to kill any weevils. That might have been for drying beans to eat though. Any ideas please on whether I just dry and keep the beans or freeze them?
Thanks

I just bung mine straight in the freezer and cook them from frozen when I need them.

I dry mine in the greenhouse - spread out to hopefully avoid mould. A few develop holes which are presumably the weevils, but I still either bung them in casseroles and don't tell anybody (an extra bit of protein?) or sow them in root trainers next year and hope that I've sown too many, like I normally do!

[Nobbie]

Mine are still growing and nowhere near starting to dry out. Looks like mild weather for the next couple of weeks, so I'll leave them until the first frost and then take the pods off to dry in the greenhouse.

[Ethel]

Oh dear. I've picked all my borlotti beans, some are lovely and dried out but some are unripe but the right colour and quite a lot are still green. I've podded them all (shoulda checked this thread first) and am now wondering if the green ones are inedible - they are rapidly gong brown around the edges. Maybe I'd be ok to just shove them all in the freezer? Or should I just chuck them?

[Dev]

Oh dear. I've picked all my borlotti beans, some are lovely and dried out but some are unripe but the right colour and quite a lot are still green. I've podded them all (shoulda checked this thread first) and am now wondering if the green ones are inedible - they are rapidly gong brown around the edges. Maybe I'd be ok to just shove them all in the freezer? Or should I just chuck them?

Don't chuck them. The ones that have dried out can be kept - maybe dried out even further before you store them. The green ones can be cooked in a number of ways - in a casserole, various bean recipes you can find on line (John Torode has a good bean recipe with garlic, onions, chard and so on) or in a soup. Waste not want not, as they used to say!

[Ethel]

Thanks Dev - will look him up torode. Also, amazed to find half the green ones have now turned that lovely mottled colour - wasn't expecting that!

[Nobbie]

Given all the rain I thought I better harvest mine before they rot as they had already collapsed in the wind earlier in the summer. Glad I did as they were quite a few pods that were already brown and a few that were starting to rot. I've shelled all those and put them on a tray to dry out in the airing cupboard and left the rest of the pods on newspaper in the loft room to dry out. Some of the pods are still,green and contain green beans, but seem to remember from last year that they will mature ok if left in the pod while drying. Bumper crop and I haven't used up last years yet🙂