The bright flowers of runner beans have been delighting us for a few weeks now. It is now the beginning of July and the first pods are ready to harvest. They can be harvested as young green beans or as mature dry beans. Runner beans are also poisonous raw. Delicious and wholesome vegetable dishes and salads are prepared from them.
When and how to harvest and store runner beans?
Fire beans can be harvested from the beginning of July by harvesting the young, green beans from a size of 5 cm or the mature dry beans. Be sure to eat them cooked as they are poisonous raw. Freezing is recommended for storage.
Harvest time
Runner beans sown in May bear the first ripe fruits at the beginning of July. Regular picking stimulates new fruit formation. You can harvest late-sown runner beans until frost.
Harvest fire beans as tender green beans
The small, young beans from a size of 5 cm are particularly tender. They are harvested as whole pods and processed as green beans.
Harvesting mature dry beans
If you want to harvest dry beans, you have to let the pods and kernels fully ripen. If the weather remains dry, you can literally let the pods dry out on the plant. Then spread them out side by side in a dry place and let them dry for at least two weeks.
Be sure to eat runner beans cooked
As with all types of beans, the runner bean pods and seeds are poisonous when raw. That's why you should always cook beans before eating them as vegetables, soup or bean salad.
Preserving runner beans
You can preserve fire beans by boiling and freezing them. Freezing is recommended. This method preserves vitamins and taste best.
High-yielding varieties
- Lady Di: 2 cm thick and up to 30 cm long, threadless sleeves
- Moonlight: new variety with fleshy pods, suitable for cooking and freezing
Tips & Tricks
Field beans are most productive when sown in May to June. They cope well with cooler weather in spring. On the other hand, heat and dryness in summer make it difficult for flowers and pods to form.
