It was time for me to pick all the beans that are dried on the vines that are ready. I always try to dry what I can't get off during the growing season. I got black beans and northern and a wonderful white northern with red blotches on them. This is the latest pickins that I will do. I have ripped the vines off the wire. We will burn all the vines soon. We enjoy these dried beans all Winter. They are great with cornbread. Barb in Pa.
What a great harvest, and so useful during the winter months. One of our favorite meals is ham and beans and cornbread, but we buy our dried beans, .
Carolyn, I make sure they are well dried. I open the pod and take out the beans. I lay the beans out on a towel on my 4 X 8 work counter for just a little while. Some are not all the way dried so I use them now or just through them out if it's only a few. I only had 2 undried pods yesterday so I just got rid of them. I put them in a baggie and keep them in my pantry. They get used too fast so I don't worry about what could happen if they stayed in my pantry too long. So instead of a mixed bag of beans from the store I mix my own. Two growing seasons ago I started about 28 peas and beans from store bought ones. I get them growing in the greenhouse on a plate with wet paper towel and then planted them in the garden. I try to get climbers rather than bush types for I have about 200 feet of wire fencing in my garden for beans to grow up on. I didn't do so well this year as I have been to depressed to get out into the garden. I watch the birds reap my harvest instead. :'( But I am getting back on my feet now, thanks to this place. marlingardener, I to keep frozen ham hocks and ham ends, and bones for beans. Even if I pan fry a ham steak I always deglaze my pan with just as little water as I can and freeze all the goodies in a zip lock bag. I may only get a few tablespoons of stuff but I combine as many as I can when starting beans. I find all kind of places to use them. I go to this place that auctions off meat right out of the back of the butchers cooler truck. That's where I get most of my meat. I keep "a sort of" record of the combined price per pound over the years and I never have paid more than $2.00 a pound for anything. It's not frozen but freshly cut. I have to take a couple of coolers with me and bidding is very hard for they don't talk clearly and you pay "per pound" so if you don't pay attention, you could be bidding on a heavy piece of meat that could become very expensive. I got a over 4 pound chuck roast for under $1.00 per pound. Well, that's another topic. Anyway, I get and hocks for about 20 cents per and ham ends for about that same price. That of course depends on who is bidding against you. I take it home and individual bag it and label and date it and freeze it. That's what I use with my beans. I also get all kinds of sausage there. It is such a big job my hubby helps me with it. It's a yukky place and far from home and a all day affair, but it is sure worth is. Well, enough of my ramblings. Sorry to go on and on. I just love the deals I get and what I do to save money for such good food. Like all kinds of bacon for less than $1 a pound. I lay it out singley on a cookie sheet and then put it in a baggie. So if you want 1 or 5 pieces I can take them out that way. At the store Oscar Mayer is from $5 to $7 per pound all the time. and that's my bean and ham story. Barb in Pa.
Hi Barb, Your experience and willingness to share how you harvest is appreciated. I am hoping to grow beans this coming season and was wondering if you have ever grown them in containers, and if so, how it worked for you?
This is called gabability.... :-D I started to grow my beans in pots in my greenhouse but lost interest. I do have one that survived and produced a few pea pods. I also have a hot pepper plant in a pot and it's producing one pepper at a time. I am sure someone else can address this here but I don't think I could feed my family on the produce from my greenhouse. :-D Barb in Pa.
Unless you have a lot of pots you wouldn`t get enough to do much good for your freezer !! I have found that they don`t produce nearly as well as if planted in the ground !!
mart, You are right....That's for sure. I stop picking my beans and peas early in the fall so they will dry on the vines. So with my 200 feet of fencing they can grow up on I get plenty that I can and freeze and then have them dried. Couldn't do that in POTS Barb in Pa.
Just finished my beans as well Barb, looking at a good jar of dried borlotti (cranberry) and haricot beans from pole beans. I plan to use them for seeds next year and any left overs will be used in stews. The undried, went into a great cassoulet dish which is great this time of year infront of the fire.
Oh wow, my two favorite, I think, if the haricot are like lima???? Getting ready to take pictures of my beans for tomorrow. I think tomorrow evening will be a bean dinner. Barb in Pa.
