Runner Bean
The runner bean holds a special place in the hearts of English gardeners though not so on the continent. We always grow far too much as individuals and there’s always a glut of beans even after the freezer is full! 2008 was no exception! As you can see from the photo below I made a bean support I.K. Brunel would have been proud of. I had very good germination from my Flame variety and planted out all to the tune of two per cane. One would have sufficed per cane. The whole structure is facing south so the plants will be able maximise the sun light.
2009 I grew the variety White Lady. Good cropper with white flowers and white beans in the mature pods.
I was very impressed with the variety I used in 2008. The flavour was good and the beans stringless. They also freeze very well. (I just need a larger freezer!) In 2009 I grew a quarter of the number of beans. Half White Lady runner beans and half Cobra climbing French bean and still had too many! Both were very good with good flavour and stringless.
WHAT TO DO WITH MATURE OR DRIED BEANS (Or any bean.)
I was wondering if the left over runner beans, that were drying on the vines, could be eaten. One thing we hate is waste. On searching the internet I came to the conclusion that they can be used in a similar way to kidney beans and, like kidney beans, need to be treated first to rid them of the poisons that can cause server problems even death.
Above left:
White Lady runner beans past their best.
Above: Ripe pods not yet dried reveal the white beans (left) ready for treatment before making into a soup.
Below. Half of my White Lady beans drying. Some Cobra French climbing beans mixed in too. Some of each will be used for next year’s crop. A Kilner jar filled with a pound of dried beans.
CHILLI CON CARNE
Here is a real favourite of mine. Jacky hates it! It is all more more pleasurable to make knowing the beans I use are my very own. Here is a recipe which should be enough for four. As with all my recipes the amounts given for the ingredients are only approximate. I always think recipes should be an inspiration and not a rule. The meat used in most chilli con carne these days is ground up or minced beef. I prefer to buy chuck steak. (More commonly known in England as braising steak.) It is cheap to buy but has loads of flavour. I like to prepare it myself and cut it up into very small cubes or dice. At least you know what you’re getting. You can, alternatively, get your butcher to grind up a piece of meat you’ve chosen off the counter.
Ingredients:
1/2 lb of dried beans
1 lb of chuck steak (ground of diced finely)
1 tablespoon of dripping
1 large onion (finely chopped)
1 large clove of garlic (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon of flour
2 heaped tablespoons of tomato puree
1 pint of hot beef stock
chilli powder or chopped red chillies to taste
1 large sweet pepper finely chopped (what ever colour takes your fancy!)
seasoning
Treat your beans as above. Take a large pan and melt the dripping in the base and add the chopped onion and garlic. Fry over a medium heat for around ten minutes till soft. Do not brown. Turn op the heat and add the beef. Stir till brown. Sprinkle in the flour till the juices have been absorbed. Pour in the stock and the tomato puree a little at a time till the sauce slowly thickens. Add the drained beans and chilli. Give a good stir whilst bringing to the simmering point. Put the lid on and simmer for about 1 and 1/2 hours. Add the chopped sweet pepper and simmer for another 1/2 hour. This two hour simmer can be done in the oven using a casserole dish if it’s convenient. Check for seasoning and serve on boiled long grain rice.
There are many, many variations on a theme when it comes to “Chilli”. Some purists refuse to have beans in their chilli saying they’re just a filler and some have turkey or chicken or even no meat at all. All should have hot chilli pepper though! Either way, this is how I like mine and I don’t care what the purists say!
HOW TO TREAT BEANS:
If the beans are off the vine and still soft you need to boil them rapidly in water for 15 minutes then slowly simmer for a further 15 minutes. If the beans are dried then soak them in ample water over night till they have become soft. Replace any water and treat as above. Another way is to put the dried beans in water, bring to the boil for ten minutes turn off the heat and leave in the hot water for an hour.
We collected all the bean pods that had shrivelled but not dried and stripped them of their beans. White Lady beans are a beautiful white and we decided to make a bean soup. Something we have not done before but were very surprised at the result.
WHITE BEAN SOUP
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
Approximately 1/2 lb or 250g of treated beans.
1 onion pealed and chopped finely
1 clove of garlic chopped
1 stalk of chopped celery
sprig of fresh herbs and a bay leaf
2 pts or 1 lt of stock (Chicken is best.)
extra virgin olive oil
Seasoning
Put some EV olive oil in a saucepan and soften the onion for a few minutes but don’t brown. Add the garlic and soften for a further couple of minutes. Add the drained beans, stock, celery, herbs, bay leaf and pepper. (Don’t add the salt yet because the stock may be salty enough.) Bring to the simmer and cover. Simmer gently for about one hour. Check the beans to see if they are tender. If not continue simmering till they are.
Remove from the heat and fish out any herb stalks and leaves. Pass through a sieve or whizz up with a food processor till smooth. Check for seasoning before serving.
TIPS: The texture of the soup can be varied by adjusting the amount of beans used. Try chilling and serving as a gazpacho. Chop a fresh red chilli in after sieving to give a little heat and colour.
