Asian Long Beans Thread 2014

[so lucky]

I love green beans almondine: steam or boil your green beans just until tender. Meanwhile, melt a knob of butter (as much as you can manage without feeling guilty!) and saute your slivered almonds until they are brown and the butter is fragrant with almond. Tip it into the green beans and listen to them sizzle, then enjoy.

Very poetic! Do you write cook books in your spare time?

 

[britesea]

Lol, no. But I love cooking.... and eating.... and talking about food... and growing food...

 

[VA_LongBean]

I'm a little late to the dance. In my area I usually can't plant long beans until early to mid May. This year especially it was mid to late may since we didn't really have spring. I grew red noodle and a green one from a Chinese friend of my parents. The green one sulked, but eventually made an OK showing (next year away from the oak tree). Red noodle outdid itself; which given that I was afraid I would lose it after last year's failure to set more than a handful of seeds is a miracle.

I use them as green beans, boiled for a few minutes with salt. Mixing them together in one pot made enjoyable and colorful beans.

 

[flowerweaver]

I planted mine in early April and am still harvesting. In general, the long beans and cowpeas love our long, hot season and do really well for us. I let them get a little plump, then saute them with other vegetables, or pick them thinner and steam them like regular green beans.

 

[PhilaGardener]

They do love a hot summer in Philadelphia too!

I found they freeze better than regular beans!

 

[flowerweaver]

@PhilaGardener that's good to know. I've never had room to freeze anything, but I have a bigger refrigerator on order with a much larger freezer so I'm looking forward to putting up more veggies.

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

Like the combo of green pods/purple streaking. Must be the "Yori Cahui" variety from NS/Search?

 

[flowerweaver]

Don't think so, they came from a farmer who would likely not have ordered from NS/S and said they were a family heirloom. I bought some Yori Cahui this year but never got them planted. So next year I can plant both and compare. My seeds are speckled black; YC are speckled red.

 

[so lucky]

I'm glad to know they freeze well. We have more than we can eat. I've been picking them skinny, but unless I par-boil, then sauté, my DH says they are too tough. I think I will try picking them a little larger, and just sauté. I know they get softer as they get fatter (like me!)

 

[PhilaGardener]

I think they are best before the seeds start to fill. By the time the pods get soft, they are past and get tough (at least the Chinese Red Noodle I grew).