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A Growing and Seed Saving Guide
HarvestingforEatingandSeedSaving
Let the pods turn dry, tan and crisp on the plant
Not ready Ready to harvest
Dry enough to freeze
Dry them indoors. If you don’t have many, shell by hand. If you have a lot, put them in a bag or in a tub and gently dance on them to break up the pods. Use screening and winnowing to remove the chaff. They are dry enough when hit with a hammer, they shatter rather than mash.
Freeze the dry beans for 48 hours in a glass jar or freezer bag to prevent an outbreak of weevils.
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Did you know that you can eat beans at all stages of maturity? The young, tender pods with unformed or very small beans inside are delicious cooked as green beans.
When thinning seedlings, you can cook and eat the leaves like spinach greens. (look up recipes for Bean Pesto).
As the beans begin to form bulges inside the pods, the pods often become a bit stringy. However the strings can be removed and the pods cooked.
If the beans have matured but are still green they can be removed and cooked (it is important to cook mature beans to eliminate the toxinphytohemagglutinin which is produced by some kinds of beans).
When the beans are mature enough for seed saving (pods dry and brittle) they can be used as dry beans in soups and stews.. The different colored beans are perfect for dishes like soups and chilies where diversity of textures is a benefit.
LocallyAdapted,CommunitySelected YearbyYearGuide
How do crops adapt a crop to our local environment?
Year1: Lots of gardeners plant lots of seeds. Some plants will do better than others, and that’s OK, celebrate the strong ones. Save seeds from any plants that produce seeds, despite challenges.
Year2: Repeat the first year, but this time we can be more selective and saves seeds from the most delicious plants or fruits.
Year3andbeyond:Save seeds from plants with the traits that you love. This may include best flavor, dark colors or a preferred sizeand shape or early ripening. Keep the population diverse to allow it to keep adapting and evolving (always save seeds from multiple plants).
TheKey: Save your seeds and share then with the community through your seed library. Your seeds will be mixed with everyone's and shared back out through the seed libraries.
Plant/species name: RunnerBean
Variety (or parent varieties) LocalDiverseMix
Garden Location:________________________ Year: 2024
Aguideforplanting,saving,andsharing seedswiththecommunity:
PlantingLocation – At least 6 hours of sun with support for the 6-8 feet vines.
When – after danger of frost but before the middle of June.
DirectSow – 1” deep, 4” apart in row, with 18” between rows.
Growing – prefers cooler temps and consistent moisture. Keep moist until germination. After that water weekly or when needed.
Harvest– when beans are dry, tan and crisp.
SeedCleaning - shell out, or place in a bag or bin and gently stomp, then screen and winnow to remove chaff.
Drying – dry indoors. Beans are dry enough to freeze and storewhen a bean, hit with a hammer, shatters rather than mushes.
Freezing –freeze the dry beans in a glass jar or freezer bag for 48 hours to prevent an outbreak of weevils. When removing from freezer, don’t open the container for 24 hours to prevent condensation on the beans.
ReturnSeeds – bring them to the harvest party or return them to your local seed library using a return slip (included).