Cranberry beans

I live in the Pacific Northwest and have always been told…. So many things that I need to rebel against…. Including that dry beans don’t grow well here. My son becoming vegan inspired me to try. I got 4 varieties from Territorial Seed to try. Cranberry beans turned out lovely, much more white than in pictures, but gorgeous. Soaking to try for dinner tonight! I also harvested a couple others, Yin Yang which I might call Holstein eggs,  and don’t remember the name of the all black one.

I hope we can get an update on the flavor of those beans? Do they taste decent? We're you unimpressed with the volume of your harvest?

Frank Pettingill wrote:I hope we can get an update on the flavor of those beans? Do they taste decent? We're you unimpressed with the volume of your harvest?

They taste was fine. Don’t know how to describe- just beans lol. They aren’t all maturing at the same time, so there will be more to come. It won’t be a lot, but now I know I can do it.

I love growing my own drying beans, although when I see the huge varieties in bulk bags dirt cheap at the Mexican grocery store I frequent, I realize it may not be my most economically efficient use of garden space!

I do it anyway. I suppose it makes me feel like I’m putting up survival food for the apocalypse.

Anyway, if I may, here’s a tip ~ unless it’s one of the varieties that actually pop open and dump their seed, just leave them on the vines to dry.

Let the vines die after frost and dry out. Once the pods are crispy dry, pull the entire vines, and bring them to a work area. I use a utility cart so I don’t lose any. Pull up a comfortable camp chair, with a box at your feet. Then pull out the vines branch by by branch and pull each pod. Crack them open over your box. I like to do ths in a breeze so the dust and debris gets blown off to the outside of the box.

Sorry if this is all elementary to you, but I wanted to stress how important it is to let them dry completely before storing them, or you’ll get mold. And they pop open much easier if you’ve waited them out and let them dry on the vine.

Jeff Peter wrote:I love growing my own drying beans, although when I see the huge varieties in bulk bags dirt cheap at the Mexican grocery store I frequent, I realize it may not be my most economically efficient use of garden space!

I do it anyway. I suppose it makes me feel like I’m putting up survival food for the apocalypse.

Anyway, if I may, here’s a tip ~ unless it’s one of the varieties that actually pop open and dump their seed, just leave them on the vines to dry.

Let the vines die after frost and dry out. Once the pods are crispy dry, pull the entire vines, and bring them to a work area. I use a utility cart so I don’t lose any. Pull up a comfortable camp chair, with a box at your feet. Then pull out the vines branch by by branch and pull each pod. Crack them open over your box. I like to do ths in a breeze so the dust and debris gets blown off to the outside of the box.

Sorry if this is all elementary to you, but I wanted to stress how important it is to let them dry completely before storing them, or you’ll get mold. And they pop open much easier if you’ve waited them out and let them dry on the vine.

This is pretty close to what I did, except I just took the pods and not the whole plant. I was excited to try some, and because they were maturing at different rates even in the same plant, some pods were dried while others were still a little damp. I shelled them while sitting down in the evening.

Are the yin-yang beans the same thing as Jacob's Cattle?  They look extremely similar.

I have grown Vermont Cranberry beans, and mine are definitely a darker pink rather than the whitish color you show. I suspect that may be a mutation from the original Vermont Cranberry line. What was your seed source?

The only frustrating thing I have found with dry or shelly beans is that you only get one crop a year, unlike green beans, where they yield over and over until frost. So you need a lot more space to produce a year's worth of dry beans than a year's worth of green beans.

Cathy James wrote:Are the yin-yang beans the same thing as Jacob's Cattle?  They look extremely similar.

I have grown Vermont Cranberry beans, and mine are definitely a darker pink rather than the whitish color you show. I suspect that may be a mutation from the original Vermont Cranberry line. What was your seed source?

The only frustrating thing I have found with dry or shelly beans is that you only get one crop a year, unlike green beans, where they yield over and over until frost. So you need a lot more space to produce a year's worth of dry beans than a year's worth of green beans.

Some of the cranberry beans were darker than these. Seems the ones that matured earlier were lighter. I got my seeds from Territorial Seed, and Oregon company. The ting yang look different from Jacob’s Cattle to me. I’m not sure if this variety goes by any other names.
I didn’t grow very many beans, definitely not enough for a year, but it’s nice to know I could. It sure wouldn’t be worth the space if space is limited.