2021 Little Easy Bean Network - Bean Lovers Come Discover Something New !

[flowerbug]

@flowerbug I just tried to like your post above, but it wouldn't register it? Any ideas why?


---->Oh, I just got it to work by pressing the thumbs up icon, usually I only press 'like' though.....

sometimes things happen. i'm not sure where that comes from, but i do see that happen at times too. i consider it a mild gremlin running around in the system trying to make sure we keep on our toes.

a more technical explanation would involve more knowledge of how things work behind the scenes than what i have, but i suspect that the server (aka program and/or hardware) at the other end of the web forum interface may not be able to handle the number of transactions it is being asked to process at times so it probably throws an error message some place that we don't see and then ignores it. if you really want an answer you'll have to bring that up with Nifty or the other people who run the website.

 

[Niele da Kine]

I was visiting a friend in Napa and there was a store near there that did nothing but sell beans. Rancho Gordo is the name of the place and all they sell is beans. Amazing, I'd figured it was one of those 'only in California' sorta things. I bought a few bags of beans and ate some and planted some. So far Good Mother Stallard is one that has been planted pretty much continuously since then. It's a great soup bean. I don't pick it for pods, it might do that as well, but it's an excellent soup bean.

I did notice that they had a lot of recipes to go with each variety of bean and I found that very helpful when choosing which beans to get. Is there any way to cross reference which beans have what sorts of flavors?

Last year I got a bean, I think it was a greasy cut short and they touted it for having great 'umami' flavor and after growing it out and cooking it, it wasn't anything I'd grow again. I'd also chosen a corn and watermelon variety because they were ones I'd never heard of. Which was a mistake since they were obscure for a reason, IMHO. So, now before getting seeds I like to find out how they will taste. Is there any way to cross reference the bean varieties with how they will taste? Some have an occasional mention of flavor or what recipe they get used in but not all of them.

I did get their cookbook (and I rarely buy cookbooks) which gave recipes that would call out for specific varieties of beans. That makes a lot more sense than just saying 'white bean' or 'red bean'.

At some point I hope to find Rio Zape beans to grow, everyone enthuses about them, but they're always sold out. Guess that's why.

 

[flowerbug]

I was visiting a friend in Napa and there was a store near there that did nothing but sell beans. Rancho Gordo is the name of the place and all they sell is beans. Amazing, I'd figured it was one of those 'only in California' sorta things. I bought a few bags of beans and ate some and planted some. So far Good Mother Stallard is one that has been planted pretty much continuously since then. It's a great soup bean. I don't pick it for pods, it might do that as well, but it's an excellent soup bean.

I did notice that they had a lot of recipes to go with each variety of bean and I found that very helpful when choosing which beans to get. Is there any way to cross reference which beans have what sorts of flavors?

Last year I got a bean, I think it was a greasy cut short and they touted it for having great 'umami' flavor and after growing it out and cooking it, it wasn't anything I'd grow again. I'd also chosen a corn and watermelon variety because they were ones I'd never heard of. Which was a mistake since they were obscure for a reason, IMHO. So, now before getting seeds I like to find out how they will taste. Is there any way to cross reference the bean varieties with how they will taste? Some have an occasional mention of flavor or what recipe they get used in but not all of them.

I did get their cookbook (and I rarely buy cookbooks) which gave recipes that would call out for specific varieties of beans. That makes a lot more sense than just saying 'white bean' or 'red bean'.

At some point I hope to find Rio Zape beans to grow, everyone enthuses about them, but they're always sold out. Guess that's why.

when doing some reading on beans one of the first books i read was the Rancho Gordo cookbook/book on beans. interesting read. i think most of their beans are grown in California or by people near where they find their bean varieties (for those that are rare or obscure). though perhaps this has changed since i read the book.

aside from that it would not hurt to ask here as many of us eat a lot of beans and may be able to decribe the bean in question in terms of flavor and texture.

 

[Zeedman]

At some point I hope to find Rio Zape beans to grow, everyone enthuses about them, but they're always sold out. Guess that's why.

Rancho Gordo primarily sells bulk beans for culinary purposes, hence their focus on variety-specific recipes. They do have a good selection though, other gardeners I have spoken to have ordered beans through them.

I couldn't find any commercial sources for Rio Zape either. However, it is being offered by a member of the Seed Savers Exchange. If you really want to grow it this year, send me a PM, I would be happy to assist.

 

[flowerbug]

i bought a few pounds of some red adzuki beans today. was originally planning on picking them up at the health food store, but while waiting for the take-out chinese order to come up i walked down to the asian food store looking for some coconut vinegar sauce and they had some very nice red adzuki beans in a bag for about half the price i would have paid at the health food store so hey, giddy-up! Mom asked what i needed to buy more beans for, i have about 10lbs of older beans sitting on the counter here that i will need to cook up eventually, but i haven't had any adzuki beans in a few years so, well, why not? of course i'll keep a few samples to plant... though my last attempts at growing them from store-bought ones they went too long and i don't think i got over a dozen seeds off the entire row of beans.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

i bought a few pounds of some red adzuki beans today. was originally planning on picking them up at the health food store, but while waiting for the take-out chinese order to come up i walked down to the asian food store looking for some coconut vinegar sauce and they had some very nice red adzuki beans in a bag for about half the price i would have paid at the health food store so hey, giddy-up! Mom asked what i needed to buy more beans for, i have about 10lbs of older beans sitting on the counter here that i will need to cook up eventually, but i haven't had any adzuki beans in a few years so, well, why not? of course i'll keep a few samples to plant... though my last attempts at growing them from store-bought ones they went too long and i don't think i got over a dozen seeds off the entire row of beans.

Yeah the day length can be a problem. Lie with rice beans, there are a LOT of types of adzuki out there, of varying day length needs.

That's sort of the reason why, though I started with a supply of azukis of pretty much every color of the rainbow from my hunting, I now have really only even or eight (a little red, a salt and pepper, a black, at tan, another tan, a brown and black speckled, another brown and black speckled and a third brown and black speckled)

Using the rice bean work a lot of them are more or less yes/no for me. Either they flower and pod or they don't (i.e. I don't get a lot that flower too late and the pods die green)

I think @Zeedman has a few azukis as well.

 

[Zeedman]

i bought a few pounds of some red adzuki beans today. was originally planning on picking them up at the health food store, but while waiting for the take-out chinese order to come up i walked down to the asian food store looking for some coconut vinegar sauce and they had some very nice red adzuki beans in a bag for about half the price i would have paid at the health food store so hey, giddy-up! Mom asked what i needed to buy more beans for, i have about 10lbs of older beans sitting on the counter here that i will need to cook up eventually, but i haven't had any adzuki beans in a few years so, well, why not? of course i'll keep a few samples to plant... though my last attempts at growing them from store-bought ones they went too long and i don't think i got over a dozen seeds off the entire row of beans.

"Mom asked what i needed to buy more beans for"
Yeah, I've often been asked that question too, by DW. Did you happen to have every square inch of horizontal space covered with beans at the time?

Ditto @Pulsegleaner 's comments, regarding daylength sensitivity. The large red adzuki sold in Oriental markets will most likely fall in that category. There are smaller-seeded varieties which are day-neutral & have short(er) DTM's, I presently grow 3 of those.

@Pulsegleaner , in your searches, I take it you are finding seed from wild or semi-wild Vigna that were inadvertently harvested along with a cultivated variety. The differences between members of that genus can be very minor. I'm curious to learn how you are able to narrow down the possible species. The only indication I've been able to use for the seed itself is the hilum.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

"Mom asked what i needed to buy more beans for"
Yeah, I've often been asked that question too, by DW. Did you happen to have every square inch of horizontal space covered with beans at the time?

Ditto @Pulsegleaner 's comments, regarding daylength sensitivity. The large red adzuki sold in Oriental markets will most likely fall in that category. There are smaller-seeded varieties which are day-neutral & have short(er) DTM's, I presently grow 3 of those.

@Pulsegleaner , in your searches, I take it you are finding seed from wild or semi-wild Vigna that were inadvertently harvested along with a cultivated variety. The differences between members of that genus can be very minor. I'm curious to learn how you are able to narrow down the possible species. The only indication I've been able to use for the seed itself is the hilum.

That's basically how I tell them apart myself. Azuki's have longer hila than mungs and are USUALLY bigger (plus the green of mungs and the green of azukis are different). Rice Beans have hilum "lips". Urd beans tend to have rougher hila than any of the others. Mothe beans are hard because they are REALLY similar to mungs (though smaller and usually tan) but I have never have had to seperate those out. And there are ones I am not sure of like the "dog bones"

And I'm not sure how wild they are. The salt and peppers are pretty big for azukis and the blacks are pretty big too. The third black and brown is probably semi wild but its a crappy producer (one pod with one seed).

Also I will point out that V. angularis nakashime the wild azuki is native only to Japan, and my hunting material was mostly Chinese.

On the other hand, wild type rice beans are pretty common finds in some senna

 

[flowerbug]

"Mom asked what i needed to buy more beans for"
Yeah, I've often been asked that question too, by DW. Did you happen to have every square inch of horizontal space covered with beans at the time?

Ditto @Pulsegleaner 's comments, regarding daylength sensitivity. The large red adzuki sold in Oriental markets will most likely fall in that category. There are smaller-seeded varieties which are day-neutral & have short(er) DTM's, I presently grow 3 of those.

yeah, i have grown one of those last season for the first time and while i did get a harvest the seeds were pretty tiny so i will try them again this coming year and hope i can get a better crop (in more spaces now that i have more seeds to work with). if i can't then i'll have to let them go and try something else. just something to do for a change too as i do like them and they remind me enough of lentils that i'd like to grow some for myself. variety being the spice of life and all that.

the desk is pretty full of beans right now i have to find some place to put these containers of beans that we have to eat up. probably about 15 pounds there total so they won't all go for a single batch. i'm hoping to cook most of them as individual batches so i can enjoy the flavor and texture of each of them.

 

[flowerbug]

That's basically how I tell them apart myself. Azuki's have longer hila than mungs and are USUALLY bigger (plus the green of mungs and the green of azukis are different). Rice Beans have hilum "lips". Urd beans tend to have rougher hila than any of the others. Mothe beans are hard because they are REALLY similar to mungs (though smaller and usually tan) but I have never have had to seperate those out. And there are ones I am not sure of like the "dog bones"

And I'm not sure how wild they are. The salt and peppers are pretty big for azukis and the blacks are pretty big too. The third black and brown is probably semi wild but its a crappy producer (one pod with one seed).

Also I will point out that V. angularis nakashime the wild azuki is native only to Japan, and my hunting material was mostly Chinese.

On the other hand, wild type rice beans are pretty common finds in some senna

do they know the lineage of soy? is it from adzuki? mung? etc? i've never actually studied that as i've really just liked regular beans and lima beans most of the time.