We’re finally coming to an end of the planting here in Napa. I have almost 2 acres chock-a-block full of beans that I found in Mexico, ordered from the Internet or were sent from you. This year, with some of the extras, I put them in a regular pot filled with potting soil.
You can use any bean but the runner beans (like Scarlet Runner) can cascade down the sides of the pot, looking dramatic and yet yielding a tasty treat!
Don’t presoak the beans. Just direct seed them and keep the pot moist until the first signs of life appear, then water as you would any plant after that.
Sigh. I have had nothing but legume disasters in my garden this year. First the sugar snap peas, which looked healthy enough, but vined so slowly and lazily that they were only about 18 inches high by the time the heat killed them, with nary a flower. Then I tried Scarlet Emperor Runners and Cherokee Wax Bush beans from Seeds of Change, both of which completely died from rust. Desperate, I hurriedly planted a short row of Roma beans from the local feed and seed, only one of which germinated! I’m giving it one more shot with some heat-loving cowpeas, so wish me luck! And your little babies are so cute in those photos. 🙂
I haven’t grown any of my own beans yet, but I can get fresh beans at my local farmer’s market (in Baltimore). I haven’t managed to to figure out exactly how to cook with fresh beans. Any general advice?
Do you mean green beans? Or shelling beans, out of the pod?
Enjoying your blog! I stopped by to look up prep instructions for the cellinis I got the Ferry Building market and got sucked into all the great info on the Rancho Gordo main site and here.
Couple of things:
1) The recipe for Cannellini Anchovy Spread is missing a word in the first ingredient, for amount of beans. “Cup,” I’m assuming?
2) Can I just plant in my garden some of the Cellinis I bought? The package doesn’t say when they were packaged, but I’m assuming they’re of recent vintage. Would they be viable?
Thanks!
2)
Hello? (tap tap tap) Is this thing on?
Just to let you know, the Cellinis are viable. They’re just coming up today.