The early broad bean variety, Express, matures quickly, thus producing a very early crop of broad beans.
ExpressBroadBeanPods
Broad Bean Express:
shelled-broad-beans-Express
Click this link to order the variety Express Broad Bean
Gloria Bonde grows beautiful scarlet runner beans every year in a window box with a curved trellis rustically made of dogwood twigs that curves over the window box window.
Gloria says “They are so easy to grow. They have a beautiful red bloom.”
runner-beans-in-flower
Beans are so attractive and both flowers & beans come in many shapes & sizes . The new midwinter broad bean has beautiful flowers in shades of pink & red and seeds that are red, or that turn purple at maturity.
Farming Friends & TopVeg have collaborated to create a How To Grow Runner Beans card.
HowToGrowRunnerBeansSheet
The card may be downloaded, printed off and pinned to the potting shed wall as a useful reference on how to grow runner beans. If you would like this document as a pdf, just contact TopVeg & we will email you the document.
runner-beans-in-flower
We hope that children, as well as established vegetable gardeners, will find this useful, as they can grow runner beans in their own space in the vegetable garden.
runner-beans-climbing-poles
This book helps vegetable gardeners month by month:
Thank you Sara at Farming Friends for designing this ‘How to Grow runner bean’ card.
This recipe for pickled runner beans is good for using up the surplus runner beans.
Ingredients:
* 1.5lb runner beans
* 1pint malt vinegar
* 1.5lb granulated sugar
* 1 level teaspoon ground allspice
* pepper
runner-bean-branch
Method
1. String & slice beans
2. Cook in lightly salted boiling water for about 8 mins. & drain.
3. Mix vinegar,sugar, allspice & pepper in pan, & stir over low heat till sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil, simmer for 5 mins.
4. Add drained beans to vinegar mixture & simmer for another 5 mins.
5. Take beans out of vinegar & pack tightly into clean jars. Top up the jars with the vinegar mixture so the beans are completely covered.
6. Cover with vinegar proof lids & label.
7.Store in cool, dark place for a fortnight before eating.
Bean flowers are beautiful and so variable. These photos show french bean, broad bean and scarlet runner bean flowers.
french-bean-flower
broad-bean-flowers
runner-bean-flowers
This green pea hummus recipe is in the free pea recipe booklet available from www.peas.org
Yes Peas
GREEN PEA HUMMUS DIP WITH SALAD WRAPS
Serves 4
500g frozen peas
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3 tbsp light tahini paste
Juice of 1 large lemon (add more if preferred)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
Chilli powder
Sea salt and black pepper
Salad Wraps:
4 tortilla wraps
Handful of washed lettuce leaves
4 medium tomatoes, sliced
16 slices of cucumber
Sea salt and black pepper
Method:
To make the Green Pea Hummus – Add the peas to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 3 minutes. Drain the peas and put in a food processor along with all the other ingredients; mix well until a paste is formed, season with sea salt and black pepper. To make the salad wraps – Lay out the tortilla wraps and fill with the green pea hummus, lettuce leaves, tomatoes and cucumber. Season with sea salt and black pepper and carefully roll up and cut in half.
The Lodged Broad Beans have matured earlier than the broad beans that were staked
stake-broad-beans
If the broad beans are not staked, and consequently fall over due to heavy rain or strong winds, they will not be able to reach their full potential. As soon as they blow over, the broad beans start to mature instead of continuing to feed the pods.
Broad bean Midwinter is an exciting new strain bred by Malcolm Allison.
The Midwinter strain is characterised by flowers in shades of pink & red and seeds that are red, or that turn purple at maturity. Malcolm is offering these new Midwinter broad beans, at £2.50 for 12 seeds, plus £1postage & packing. To buy please get in touch or click the buy now button below.
![Midwinter_beans[1]](http://topveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Midwinter_beans1-300x243.jpg "Midwinter_beans")
Midwinter_beans
The Midwinter broad bean plants grow to about 80cm tall.
If you’d like a starter pack of this Midwinter strain of broad beans, priced at £2.50 for 12 seeds, plus £1postage & packing, please get in touch or click the buy now button below.
Tthe second pea recipe book ‘Yes More Peas’ has just been published.
pea recipe and supper ideas
TV chef Rachel Green has gathered over 20 new recipes involving peas in this second book. There are lots of pea recipes and supper ideas. The book is FREE!! from http://www.peas.org/contactYP.php
The Yes More Peas recipe book is worth getting!
Optica is an excellent modern variety of broad beans. They have masses of pods and are very productive.
Optica-broad-bean-pods
Optica broad beans have a compact growing habit which make them ideal for small gardens, where space is at a premium. They are lower growing than many broad beans but still need staking.
broad-bean-plant-Optica
Optica broad beans produce medium length pods with 4 or 5 white beans per pod.
open-pod-Optica-broad-bean
The pods are quite tender & if picked when very young the pods can also be eaten.
optica-broad-bean-plant
Optica has a good flavour and the beans freeze well.
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