[Ma and Pa Snip]

Oh no they dont!

Not stringless obviously otherwise they wouldn't be called stringless, but if talking about other varieties, which was the original poster's problem last year, housewives going back generations have just wasted years prepping beans then..? My mother did it, my dad did it, my grandmother did it, my OH's mother did it...obviously we are all wrong. I meant to help the poster bu suggesting a different preparation method which will help when it comes to freezing them.

Hi VirginVegGrower,

Don't know about you  but when i was younger there certainly were not many, if any, 'stringless' varieties. Thats probably why our predecessors strung them come what may.

Like what has been said by others, pick 'em young enough and you'll get away with it.

However, in defence of your theory, leave them too long on the plant and dont string them and you can floss your teeth whilst eating.   

[hamstergbert]

Deliberately pick them at what is probably three quarters grown, if you know what I mean, and never do anything other than wash, top and tail before cutting up.  If any sneak past me I generally heave them straight into the compost (yeah, I know, starving folk in <benighted area of choice> and me wasting food) but it is very, very rare as once my old fashioned Scarlet Emperor, Enormas etc come in there are not too many non-breakfast meals in our home that don't feature at least some runners!  (Stay upwind).  Didn't even get stringy right at the death, a week into November last year!

As to doing the side stringing automatically cos our parents and grandparents did it, well they also used to consider cabbages dangerously underdone if not stewed to a mush for 40 minutes and it took a whole bunch of wheedling to convert them to our 'hot and dizzy' vegetable tastes!

[Ma and Pa Snip]

As to doing the side stringing automatically cos our parents and grandparents did it, well they also used to consider cabbages dangerously underdone if not stewed to a mush for 40 minutes and it took a whole bunch of wheedling to convert them to our 'hot and dizzy' vegetable tastes!

OOH nail on head there, must have been almost 10 years after I first left home before I ventured into eating cabbage, brocolli or sprouts thanks to the way they got boiled by older membes of my family.  How on earth did they manage to extract so much taste & goodness out of green veg.

[solway cropper]

oops, I read the title as Lady Di strangles runner beans