Runner bean BEAN's

[pompeydude]

due to inforeseen circumstances I've been left with a lot of very long and very fat beans.
so i was just wondering if one can use the beans within ?  and how?

Thanks
Phill

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[pompeydude]

[ACE]

You cannot eat them. But they will grow again next year after the pods have withered. If you have a lot to spare the hard beans are good in a catapult if you have cat/pidgeon/rat problems.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Can you use them as dried beans?

[tim]

If you mean the beans - then YES - they're delicious. And so colourful.

Just cook them with the 'pods' - or use them in beany type things.

[Kepouros]

We simply `unpod` them and cook the beans.  As Tim says, they`re delicious.
Just compost the pods.

[Tulipa]

Hmmmm, we had some the other night and they were wonderful.  I had seen a photo of Tim's a while ago and was waiting for a chance to try them, am hooked now...  T.

[Emagggie]

And to think I've been chucking the toughies on the heap!!!

[Multiveg]

I specifically have been chosing Czar - the catalogue says that if left to dry, can be used as "butter beans" (I now need some breadcrumbs and a mousemill to produce chocolate biscuits with the help of Charlie Mouse).

[Rhys]

Mine have gone to seed now and was going to ask the same question - can they be frozen or best eaten fresh?

[tim]

Always better fresh - but frozen of course!

[euronerd]

I've always dried mine, either in paper bags on the window sill or even on the plant if the weather's kind. Less trouble and cost storing them, and they will last more than a year as long as they're kept dry. To use,  just soak overnight and boil, as you would any dried pulse. It's no less bother than bought out dried ones but you do get a sense of smug satisfaction as you use them through the winter. There are loads of sites on the w3 with recipes so there's no point my giving any here. Try using haricot or borlotti or cannellini (or any of a dozen others) in your search string for faster results.

Geoff.

[Mrs Ava]

It is fast becoming the only reason I grow runners.  I love Frenchies for their soft succulent pods, but runners for the big fat brightly coloured beans.  You can eat them fresh from the pods with not tooo much cooking, or dry them for use over the winter, but if you do dry them for later use, what I do is put them in a pan of water with no salt, bring to the boil, then tip them into a collander, rinse well, then back into clean, unsalted, boiling water (or into the soup or stew) and cook until tender.  ;D

[Rhys]

I ate some of the white seeded Painted Lady this evening and they were delicious, like a broad bean.  :D

I'll try drying some and freezing some.

For freezing, do I need to blanch like broad beans?

[Kepouros]

We`ve been freezing (amongst other things) both Broad and Runner Beans for over 20 years and we`ve never blanched anything yet, nor have we ever had anything `go off`, even after a full year`s freezing.  We often don`t finish eating one year`s frozen crop until the following year`s crop is ready for picking - the delicious blackcurrant pie I started eating this evening was made from last year`s frozen (unblanched) harvest.

[Emagggie]

Just what this lazy cook likes to hear. ;D

[pompeydude]

WOW Thanks everyone,
sorry for the delay in replying, i've been away from the PC.
i can sense a few chilli's coming up, with not a bought ingredient in sight.
once again many thanks
Phill

;D ;D

[sarah]

have read this thread a couple of times now and just want to check that i have it right as i am cooking lunch for the girls on friday and i dont want to poison them :o i can definately shell the big fat runner beans and cook the pink seeds inside and eat them? sorry if i am being slow its just that i thought they were poisonous. but if you say not then i will do it.  :P 

[Salpott]

Hi Sarah,

After reading this post I did just that last night.  Picked them, shelled them, boiled them until tender and then ate them in the form of spicy bean burgers.  Very nice they were too and I'm still here to tell the tale (full of cold, but dont think I can blame the beans for that  ;))

[cambourne7]

so which bean is good for making baked beans with?

[tim]

Haricot?

But runners? They're lovely raw.