Picking beans

[christij]

This is our first year of raising green beans (early contender). DH says we have a few "long" beans, but wasn't sure about picking. So what are the creteria for picking beans.... length/width??

[Rockin'B]

DW pickles some every year. Size doesn't matter. Small all the way to real long. Just break the long ones in half.

[pixelphotograph]

The old lie Size doesnt matter huh LOL
Size does matter but its not what you think.
Most grocery stores sell medium and large sized beans. Why because bean pickers get paid by the pound so they want heavy beans.
Good growers know that the smaller beans are fresher and better tasting and more tender so pick the small beans dont allow them to get big unless you are using those to save for seed next year.
So size matters but its opposite of what you might imagine pick small beans to eat smaller than what the grocery store sells.

[christij]

Thanks! It makes sense that they would be tougher the bigger the bean.

[Russ_NEPA]

Best size will depend on the variety. We usually can't wait for the first fresh beans and pick some real small (about 3" for blue lake pole beans). As the season progresses we will try to pick them a 4-6" for fresh and frozen beans.

There is no "bad" size to pick. Keep trying them raw in the garden until they seem "right". If too big and tough then you know to go smaller next time and compost these. (you will usually miss a few that will get huge.)

I'm assuming that you are not picking the entire plant like a commercial grower.

[suburbanite]

It depends on the bean variety. For example my scarlet runner beans are great as green beens when the pods are 1/2 inch across. My purple queen beans, left to grow all season to seed, I don't think would ever reach 1/2 inch across, and are pushing stringy if they get more than 1/4 inch across the pod.

I think most 'normal' stringless string beans (ignoring the colors) are good to go at about 4-5 inches long. You kind of have to look at photos of the variety though--as I said. Chinese 'foot long' string beans are usually picked at 12-18 inches long. It is really variety dependent.

I think ideally you should pick them just before you can start seeing individual beans bulging the pod profile. As a backup method if you can't find a reference for your variety. So you learn by experience--a couple of pods start bulging their beans and then you pick them (because they haven't quite gone starchy yet) and then you know that optimum picking is just a little smaller than that.

[pixelphotograph]

suburbanite did mention one thing about going starchy........
This is true the younger beans are full of sugar and are usually sweeter as they age the sugar converts to starch.
That is why the younger beans are usually better tasting in my opinion as well.

[MELOC]

for sautee', i like them young. for canning, i like them more mature with a meatier bean.

[Windy in Kansas]

The first picking or two I really like to strip the plant all of the beans of all sizes. This tells the plant it still needs to produce seed and kicks it into high gear for better production.

[christij]

No we aren't commercial.

And the variety that took off the best for us was early contendar (sp?). I went ahead and picked some today and even my 16 month old DD who isn't big on veggies ate several!!!

[Paquebot]

Originally Posted by christij

This is our first year of raising green beans (early contender). DH says we have a few "long" beans, but wasn't sure about picking. So what are the creteria for picking beans.... length/width??

Best criteria for determining optimum green bean readiness is experience. For most snap beans, it would mean picking them just when the pods are showing the swelling from the beans inside. It won't take long before you'd learn when a pod was left a few days too long on the vine.

For filet beans, you don't want to see the swelling from the beans as they'd be a bit far along by then. One thing about those types is that the mature bean is long and narrow. Thus they have a longer period when they can be picked.

Many dry beans also are good for snap beans but only when very young and before the beans begin to form. An example is Black Turtle which is quite sweet but seldom used as a green bean due to its small 3" size.

Martin

[VALENT]

Speaking of beans, Martin, thanks again for those you sent me. The purple striped ones (Uncle STeves Italian, I think) were quite a hit for my family and especially my 3 year old son. After cooking, he would ask what I had done with the purple ones. I really do appreciate all the seeds you sent. By the way, my Paquebot Romas are almost at the harvest stage.