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

[Myrthryn]

planted my first bean today. going to see how Fort Portal Jade does when planted earlier. let the beans begin!

weather forecast is pretty warm now for at least the next week and some rains so it should be a good time to get them sprouted and growing.

I planted some Jade Portal as spacers between my network varieties. Was something that would stand out without confusion when all dry. All my legumes in ground now with the exception of the tepary beans along a few fence lengths. Really can't wait to see all the variety come up.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Has anyone ever heard of a bean called 'African Lazy Housewife'? I found it in my stash of beans this year, and the packet has only the name on it and nothing else, not even growth habit. It's a small, orangey red bean. I planted a few last night and hope they'll sprout, but any info anyone might have would be great.

Yes perhaps your African Lazy Housewife in that Lazy Housewife Red that I got from Alan Reynolds of Hercules, South Africa. He was indeed sending out beans that were being discontinued by SA seed companies. He never did attach the name African to the bean he sent to me. Go take a look at network page 4.

 

[flowerbug]

...
@flowerbug, that Fort Portal Jade is a pretty bean isn't it? I am growing a couple plants this year just to keep the seed renewed. I hope some of the purple types show up, and it doesn't come up as green only as the other colours in that bean are so pretty too. I could try to fit in a few Ugandan Bantu beans to make sure, but I'm running out of space fast. So much bean compassion this year for the old ones sittin' around in jars! That FPJ is a semi-runner right?

yes very purdy! the shape and color are exactly what i was after when i saw them. i've never had any off-color beans come from FPJ, always green, the only differences i see are seed quality and depth of color, some are fainter/lighter green, some don't plump up enough for me and they're not the nice round shape i really want to see. they struggle here. they could be semi-runner but i've not had them get longer than a few feet (more often less than that).

As far as dry bean preferences go, I don't think I've ever met a dry bean I didn't like in a good soup/burger/casserole/salad. But I do find navy beans have a distinctive taste; in a soup I have to add tomatoes to counter balance that particular flavour. The navies need a strong taste added to them when cooked with, either brown sugar, maple syrup, tomatoes or something similar otherwise I find there is a funny taste in them that other beans don't seem to have.

i've eaten so many of the navy pea beans that i can do without them (i think they are bland compared to many others), but Mom still likes to use them for certain things she makes. i don't think they have a bad off-taste to them as much as some other beans i have grown and eaten. there's one of the greasy beans that i grew for years and it was ok, but when eaten more plain to me it had a slightly fishy off-taste to it. edible yes, but not my favorite by far.

On the other side of that topic, something I've always wondered is what dry beans people think are especially good. Probably a lot of cooked dry beans taste similar to folks, but I do find kidney beans, black turtle beans, and those brown eyed beans (I can't remember that bean's name, yellow eye or something) all have their own identifiable taste. Even a freshly dried romano bean or pinto bean has it's own somewhat unique and delicious taste. But I haven't tried tons of bean varieties dry because I tend to keep most of them as seeds. If someone thinks that there are some really tasty dry bean varieties out there I'd be curious to hear. I know Rancho Gordo speaks highly of Vaquero and Rio Zape as dried beans with great flavour.

tastes and textures do vary quite a bit. what some people don't notice because they only use beans in things with meats and spices. almost all the beans i cook here are plain and cooked in water without salt or anything else added. i may put some butter on them after they're cooked but not always. i want to taste the beans and also the texture, i want to see what that is like with each bean i grow and plan on using as a dry bean. after they're cooked, if we have a lot of them we can use them in other things too. often i cook up a large pot so we can put some in the freezer as we do like to have bean burritos or just use the beans as filler along with other things on salads and such.

yellow eye (aka molasses face and several other names too) is an excellent bean, Mom loves 'em and i do too. i can't grow enough and they are certainly one of our favorites. they struggle through the heat of the summer. what i'm hoping for is a cross with other beans i grow that do better and are more predictable.

since i always talk about Purple Dove i'll just call it out in passing. mild pinto flavor with creamy texture.

any lima bean as a shelly or dry bean i've liked them all and Mom also likes them so i keep growing them.

adzuki beans for something different, mainly because i do like lentils and adzuki beans remind me enough of them to want to grow them, but still have to work on them.

 

[heirloomgal]

any lima bean as a shelly or dry bean i've liked them all and Mom also likes them so i keep growing them.

I feel a bit sheepish to admit this, but I've never actually eaten any bean as a 'shelly' bean, even that terminology is new to me and I was surprised when I saw how many people actually use that expression. I guess it's basically a not yet mature bean that can be used the same as a dried bean, but it doesn't take as long to cook. I don't know why there is so little (or like, zero) use of 'shelly' beans here since there must be many beans that don't make it to fully dried maturity, 'specially on vines that've been picked all season long.

I'd really love to try @HmooseK's thread and needle description on some midway grown beans for leather britches, but I have no idea how I could get them to dry without going bad on me.

 

[heirloomgal]

Yes perhaps your African Lazy Housewife in that Lazy Housewife Red that I got from Alan Reynolds of Hercules, South Africa. He was indeed sending out beans that were being discontinued by SA seed companies. He never did attach the name African to the bean he sent to me. Go take a look at network page 4.

Yes @Bluejay77 , that bean looks like the one. Only your look almost kidney bean sized, @Ridgerunner 's too, but it is really hard to gauge size in a photo so they may not be as big as they look. Would you compare the size to a kidney bean or a smaller bean like Vaquero or Hopi Black?

 

[Blue-Jay]

Yes @Bluejay77 , that bean looks like the one. Only your look almost kidney bean sized, @Ridgerunner 's too, but it is really hard to gauge size in a photo so they may not be as big as they look. Would you compare the size to a kidney bean or a smaller bean like Vaquero or Hopi Black?

The Lazy Housewife Red is not as large as a Kidney but larger than Vaquero.

 

[flowerbug]

I feel a bit sheepish to admit this, but I've never actually eaten any bean as a 'shelly' bean, even that terminology is new to me and I was surprised when I saw how many people actually use that expression. I guess it's basically a not yet mature bean that can be used the same as a dried bean, but it doesn't take as long to cook. I don't know why there is so little (or like, zero) use of 'shelly' beans here since there must be many beans that don't make it to fully dried maturity, 'specially on vines that've been picked all season long.

as long as the bean doesn't go bitter when it hits the stage when it is fully filled out they should be ok as shellies. some may take longer to cook to get the skins tender. i found out last year that some beans i didn't think were good as shellies were just fine once i cooked them longer. lima beans are eaten here mostly as shellies (the pods aren't edible on any i've ever grown) with the ones that have gone hard saved for seeds and dry bean eating later in the winter.

the nice thing about shelly beans is that they cook faster than dry beans and they are often more tender and fresher tasting since they've not gone through the stage where they dry down.

the most important part of shelly beans is to remember that some beans (red kidney beans especially) do need to be cooked long enough to destroy the phytohaemagglutinin.

I'd really love to try @HmooseK's thread and needle description on some midway grown beans for leather britches, but I have no idea how I could get them to dry without going bad on me.

here's a description:

How to Make 'Leather Britches' (Dried Green Beans)

Air-drying green beans not only preserves them but also turns the beans into a delicious treat to be enjoyed year round.

www.thespruceeats.com

have fun!

 

[baymule]

Does anyone remember who would up with "Landmaster" in that grow out. i.e. the single fat red cowpea we thought was a groundnut that took over the side of the persons house? I remember @seakangaroo got "Ugandan Discussion" (that really pretty mottled green and purple bean that sported from Fort Portal Jade" but I forgot who had the cowpea.

That would be me. The ground nuts did nothing while that single red pea took over the side of the house. It produced a LOT of peas. They were the devil to shell as fresh peas, think digging them out one pea at a time. Those hulls were tight! As dry peas, they were worse. Even letting them completely dry and flailing thin in a bag didn’t help. Bits of hull stuck like they were glued on. Somebody asked for them and I sent them the seed. They were extremely prolific but SO hard to shell!

 

[flowerbug]

That would be me. The ground nuts did nothing while that single red pea took over the side of the house. It produced a LOT of peas. They were the devil to shell as fresh peas, think digging them out one pea at a time. Those hulls were tight! As dry peas, they were worse. Even letting them completely dry and flailing thin in a bag didn’t help. Bits of hull stuck like they were glued on. Somebody asked for them and I sent them the seed. They were extremely prolific but SO hard to shell!

haha, yeah, i've had a few beans like that where you're looking around for a nut pick to get them out of the shells. it is too bad though as they're not likely going to be popular to grow unless you can get them to cross with something easier to shell out.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

One would wonder how such a pea could be used back in Africa. Who would want one that was basically unshellable. Maybe they pound it in a mortar like millet and knock off the pods and the seed coats in one go.