2022 Little Easy Bean Network - We Are Beans Without Borders

[Ridgerunner]

You can probably use almost any kind of bean you want to make chili. A good bean mix would probably due also.

I agree with this. Some people think chili should not have any beans in it. Nothing wrong with that as long as they are talking about what they eat. Some people tell you what spices or herbs you have to use or you can't call it chili. I just might use something a little different. We all have different preferences.

If you do a search on chili bean recipes (I searched on chili beans, not just chili) you will find recipes where they call for pintos, others call for red kidney. I just saw one where a mix was mentioned. I haven't tried it (at least I don't think I have) but I'd think Black Turtle beans would work really well. I remember someone using navy beans, those were good.

Ducks, I don't see it as something where there are rules that you have to follow or civilization as we know it ceases to exist. I'm certainly not the person that is going to tell you that you have to do it my way or else I'll hold my breath until my face turns purple. Try something. If you don't like it, try something else.

 

[Ridgerunner]

@Bluejay77 Karachaganak generally isn't very robust for me either. I had some years in Arkansas where the climbing version did pretty good but other years that it did not do much. I never had it do great in Louisiana. I was starting to think it may like it a little cool as poorly as it did in Louisiana.

I know @Artorius grows Karachaganak, I don't remember him mentioning poor harvests.

 

[Boilergardener]

Thx, But those of you who Like chili with beans, do you make it with pinto beans, kidney beans, or something else? Do you grow/harvest your own beans for your chili?
Inquiring Duck minds would like to know.

Horticulture / cranberry type beans are my favorite for the many variations of "ham and beans" or like a pork hock and beans bacon beans , chili etc. I wanted to find the "best" bean for these that didnt get mushy too quick 4 years ago and have been trying beans since Horticulture / new england cranberry types seem to be the best imo, more firm than great northerns and take longer to get mushy. many of which are similar to pintos i believe in their seed coat pattern just different colors generally.
Im 28, have been gardening my whole life, basically learning from my dad who learned from his dad and grandpa whom he was a farmer. I have done dry beans basically on my own learning. Indiana/I states or cornbelt farm families always had gardens, but basically never grew "dry beans" that ive seen they would grow rows of green beans and buy great northerns or red beans from the store. There is no dry bean culture here like they habe in new england and other places unfortunately. So ive really had to experiment on varieties to replace the store boughten types i think are boring.

from adaptive seeds i regularly grow brightstone and early warwick (bio picture has a mix of both) they work great for either recipe chili or ham n beans. The adaptive seeds people like early warwicks for chili according to the write up for EW on their website I have had success with Gauk variety (bluejay network) at home also and will use that this year in chili and some of the jacobs cattle variation cherry trout, and the red turtle bean also bluejays in origin.
Ive even used mayacobas in chili a family member bought from rancho gordo and they were fine also. Sort of long winded but i hope this helps

 

[Triffid]

I would just add one variety to Triffid’s excellently full list of purple podded scarlet runner beans. I’m growing one called Mrs Cannell’s Black. On the whole I don’t really enjoy the culinary qualities of purple podded runner beans. They seem to be tougher than I like before they develop their colouration.

In the winter please remind me to send you some of the 'long reddish' Blackpod variant I identified last season - maybe they will be more to your liking. This year they continue to have longer pods than the original, and develop pigmentation while the pods are still young and slender.
APS is rather disappointing, the pods are quite green. Salford Black took me by surprise last night when I spied the first pods; they are a dusty greyish mauve

 

[Blue-Jay]

I visited Bean Acres today 8-11-22 to take photos of the Karachaganak bush. This is the place that is behind my deer fence with two 960 square foot raised beds. This will be the site of my pole beans next year. At the north edge of the east raised bed in early June when I was tilling the soil I saw this volunteer plant growing from seed from a plant that probably grew nearby last year. I saw it starting to grow in early May way before I thought there were good enough conditions to plant beans. I thought I would let it grow. I won't know what it is until I get it's first dry pods. It has spread about 24 inches wide (60.96 cm) and grown some very short runners but doesn't seem to want to climb on anything. It's really a very bushy viny plant with lots of branches. It's also got some nice long 7 inch pods (17.78 cm). It just grows until it gets too heavy to stand upright and then just lays over with all the branches supporting it. I had a number of varieties that had this same characteristic of lots of branches, wide spreading and laying over. I think I might just grow them together in a small plot and keep them away from the rest of the other bush beans that are more of the upright standing plants.

 

[heirloomgal]

OK bean experts, What beans do your grow (to save the dried beans) to make chili?

I couldn't even consider anything except red kidney beans! It would feel treasonous.

I have a great chili recipe with squash, corn and red kidney beans, if you are interested pm me.

 

[heirloomgal]

These photos are Karachaganak Semi Runner in my pole bean plot 12 miles away from where the bush version is growing. Some of the plants have died and the rest of them look like they are not far behind. These plants have not even started to climb the support pole.
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Growing just one meter away from these Karachaganak Semi Runners is Kiagara Mame planted on the same day as the Karachaganak. The Kiagara Mame plants have just about made it to the top of it's pole and appears to be in the prime of it's health. Nice triangular shape like a Christmas tree. What can I say. The living and the dieing side by side.
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I would pull them all up and have a look see at the roots. It may give you the answer as to why they aren't thriving. Look even inside the lower stem and see if it's hollow or red. Beans when sprouting (as well as growing though not so strongly) release very specific chemicals into the surrounding air, which are very attractive to some pests. The chemicals form long, hyphenated names so i'd have to look them up to list it here. However, different varieties release these chemicals in varying proportions so some are more vulnerable, some much less so.

 

[Boilergardener]

@bluejay did your Hallados grandos donor tell you anything about its maturity? It is a beautiful pole plant no disease has grown to the top of the furring strip but has no pods or flowers! Its a mystery. I still have time for it to make flowers, maybe, but odd that its the only plant to not have pods yet or really flowers. Im going to look it over a little harder tonight to look for flowers

 

[Jack Holloway]

I have a great chili recipe with squash, corn and red kidney beans, if you are interested pm me.

 

[Blue-Jay]

@bluejay did your Hallados grandos donor tell you anything about its maturity? It is a beautiful pole plant no disease has grown to the top of the furring strip but has no pods or flowers! Its a mystery. I still have time for it to make flowers, maybe, but odd that its the only plant to not have pods yet or really flowers. Im going to look it over a little harder tonight to look for flowers

No this grower did not say anything about it's maturity. I'm not sure that the grower had ever grown the bean either. Grower was from Apalachin, New York which is about the same lattitude as Shaumburg, Illinois. They are also in hardiness zones 5b and and 6a. Probably right where the two zones meet. They probably have a bit longer growing season than I do.