[MichelleC]

Hi all , It's my first year growing climbing Lamon Borlotti Beans. After reading various threads and searches I'm still unsure when to harvest to use as fresh and how to cook. Can you eat them raw? Also if I want dry beans do I leave these on the plants until dry shells, pick, shell then leave to dry in dark place. Are these the ones you soak overnight before cooking? Will there be any pests to look out for as well? Any advice welcome.

[Mrs Bee]

last year we picked them before the beans inside were large and ate them like runner beans.

 We left some to get really big and I podded them and froze them to eat like broad beans.

This year we are leaving them to get to full size and will freeze them before they dry out.

I assume that you can leave them on the plant to dry out completely and then harvest them. I would think that afterwards when you cook them you would have to treat them like kidney beans and soak and boil them.

I am not sure whether you can eat them raw when they are dried or fresh. I would google that if I were you especially as kidney beans are toxic unless cooked.

[compostqueen]

Congrats on the Lamons, they're lovely.  I dry them.  They can be dried on the plant but you end up losing them as they fall from the pods onto the ground as they dry out and the mice devour them. Even drying them off in the shed with baskets underneath failed as the mice got to them in there. I now take off the beans with their branches, just rip the whole drying foliage away from the supports and I take mine home where I plonk the whole lot into baskets (including the laundry baskets) and just let them dry off naturally (in the conservatory or spare room). The beans just fall out of their own accord
Once they're fully dry you can put them into jars, stand back and admire them. They look beautiful.  They need cooking!  They should be soaked overnight and will need 40 minutes cooking or more.  I don't think they are toxic like red kidney beans though

[MichelleC]

Thanks for the replies. Do I wait until the pods are reddish to pick and cook fresh?

[Mrs Bee]

If you want to eat the pod as well as the beans you don't have to wait.
If you want to eat the beans inside as fresh then wait until the pods are red.

That is what we do but someone may have different ideas.

[brightgirls]

hi all - I thought I might add a question to this string - I am growing borlotti dwarf beans...  i really am not sure when to harvest them....  they are a red mottled colour now on the bean pod itself and the leaves are dying back and yellow. 

Should I be picking them now?  once i know this then I can follow the suggestions above ...  thanks and sorry for basic questions

Regards from Brighton

[mumofstig]

Once the pods start to feel a bit dry and crispy 

[LilacSandy]

hi all - I thought I might add a question to this string - I am growing borlotti dwarf beans...  i really am not sure when to harvest them....  they are a red mottled colour now on the bean pod itself and the leaves are dying back and yellow. 

Should I be picking them now?  once i know this then I can follow the suggestions above ...  thanks and sorry for basic questions

Regards from Brighton

Hi Brightgirls,

You harvest them exactly the same as the climbing ones.

[fatcat1955]

I don't think they are toxic like red kidney beans though.

I certainly hope not. I have eaten most of mine straight off the plant.

Edited to show reply outside the quote.