Full of Beans Part 1 - Runner Beans

I love my beans, especially when they are done. Not done in the sense of "well done" but done as in "finished done," meaning I am finally done processing them done. One of the nice things about our beans is that we dry most of them and I can put off the shucking of beans for, well, for as long as I really need to. So the bean dance seems to take place a little later every year. A couple weeks ago the grandson and I finally finished working our final tub of beans. It was a good year, and we ended up with more than we had originally thought, certainly more than enough to see us through the winter months with plenty of soup.

Doesn't grandson look like a thrilled participant? He suggested that perhaps we shouldn't grow any beans next year. I think he is praying that this chore will soon be over.:)

A couple of the varieties we grew were our long standing favorites, Painted Lady and Scarlet Emperor runner beans; provided with proper support they can grow upwards of 15'. I grew most of them along an 11' high fence and also set up a couple very tall poles which all of the plants where able to summit before fall...not so easy to pick that way. Apparently you are supposed to pick runner beans very regularly in order to keep the pods from reaching maturity as this will prevent flowers from forming. We don't, as our runner beans are used for dry soup beans and we still seem to get quite a few per plant.

Not only are the cooked beans edible but the flowers, leaves, and roots can be eaten as well, I have never tried any of these but supposedly it is popular to do so in South and Central America where this bean originated. Of course I have also read that the roots are poisonous so I will probably shy away from dining on them until I better understand the edibility aspect. I suppose that as with the mature bean itself, cooking removes the toxins.

Runner beans twine upwards in the opposite direction of most other pole beans. Would that be clockwise or counterclockwise? Got me, I guess it depends upon how you are looking at them.

The runner beans were picked a few at a time as they matured and set in the greenhouse for a few weeks to finish hardening up. I've heard this perennial's root can be dug up and overwintered to be replanted in the spring, I might have to try this sometime just to find out. All in all, they performed nicely this year. I was a little nervous early on as hummingbirds were actually fighting over the flowers, knocking many of them to the ground. Such an interesting little bird, we have never seen so many, chasing each other around squabbling and playing like a bunch of happy little children.

I think the mottled brown ones are Painted Lady and the pink and black are Scarlet Emperor?

A friend recently gifted us with a plethora of new bean varieties to try in next year's garden and hopefully many of these new additions will become welcome standards. I can't wait to try growing them.

Winter has barely started and I am already anxious for it to conclude. My wife and I both agree that it is much more enjoyable to play in the dirt than the snow....brr, -6° F this morning. You know it's cold in Idaho if chicken poo bounces after hitting the ground.