Runner Beans

[AcornEmma Robertson (Vet Nurse)<br>Acorn Kennels<br>E-mail:AcornDogKennels@aol.com]

This is the first year that I have grown runner beans, and unfortunately the veggie patch has become a bit neglected over the past couple of weeks. Needless to say therefore, that when I went to harvest them, most of my runner beans are past their best. I now have about 6lbs of beans and don't know what to do with them. I tried cooking some but they are so fibrous, tough and stringy. Can anyone suggest what I can do with them. I have read that you can dry them and use the beans as 'haricots' but they need to be attached to the plant still...mine are all on the kitchen worktop! Is there anything I can do with them or do I have to persuade the sheep and hens to eat them?

Many thanks
Emma

[Pucette<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pucette<FONT><P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">"Qui ne connaît pas la campagne lhiver, ne connaît pas la campagne et ne connaît pas]

You can shell the beans and use them fresh.
You could use the whole beans in a soup if (and only if) you put it through the fine screen of a food mill.
My hens won't touch haricots verts unless they've been cooked but all my poultry likes the leaves of any bean plant. Like the hens my dog will eat stringy beans if they are cooked thoroughly.

[Val_2]

Keep the biggest and best beans for use as next year's planting crop. I've grown a stringless variety this year and they are very good,although I don't like the white flowers. Runner beans like french beans seem to grow daily,so if you get inundated with them, you can freeze them or do pickled beans,although I didn't really like them after being soaked in vinegar.