2019 Little Easy Bean Network - Come And Reawaken The Thrill Of Discovery

[flowerbug]

Serene bean
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are these what are often called a horticultural bean? my versions of these are called Cranberry or Etna, but i've seen a lot of others. they're so purdy!

 

[Blue-Jay]

are these what are often called a horticultural bean? my versions of these are called Cranberry or Etna, but i've seen a lot of others. they're so purdy!

Yes I think Serene is what you would call a horticultural or cranberry bean. When BeanQueen harvests new seed it will probably have a very light tan or nearly white background with red speckles and streaks over the entire surface of the seed. There are hundreds of varieties of beans in this catagory.

I found a listing in the 2013 SSE yearbook for Serene in the Bush Dry section. It's description reads: 75 days, sprawling viney 20" plant, pale lavender blooms. 4" flat pods, large egg shaped seeds are violet-gray with darker striations around the hilium. Good shell bean.

Original source traced back to someone in Canada. So this might be another different bean than what BeanQueen has also named Serene. The SSE yearbook description sounds like a semi runner.

I must say the Serene that BeanQueen has is so strikingly splashed with red. It's really such a beauty.

 

[flowerbug]

here is a followup report from last year for the Purple Dove bush beans.

i just picked enough to cook up, ate some as i was picking, again they are very tender and sweet when young. i was wondering if last year's beans were a fluke because i could only eat a few and wanted more seeds to work with for this year.

as they get older they will fatten up and are still good, a few days later they will start to get a bitter note but i can still eat them raw just fine.

no plans this year to see how they are as a shelly. that is for next year (have to leave something to figure out ). i'm not sure they're going to shell out easy though with such a tender pod. that is a hypothesis to test...

later today we'll be steaming them for a few minutes and put a bit of butter on them. i'm expecting to not have to cook them all that long. they have no fuzz and no string and are very tender and mild flavored. i mean if Mom can eat one raw and says "Yummy!" we have a keeper.

i can't imagine they are not noted as a snap bean but perhaps because they probably would be pretty mushy if canned or overcooked?

 

[flowerbug]

...
I must say the Serene that BeanQueen has is so strikingly splashed with red. It's really such a beauty.

it really is!

i'm growing out my own Cranberry beans this year which i originally sourced from a soup bean mix. some of the beans get the reversed pattern. they are bush beans.

the pods get those stripes on them but not that bright color.

 

[flowerbug]

Purple Dove, nuked for 8 minutes, perfectly done, very good to eat, tender. Mom is happy. i think we'll be growing these every year now.

i forgot to mention above in my description that the beans are taller plants than some of the other bush beans i grow and the pods are up fairly high and so they aren't dragging in the dirt.

i'm going to be interested in seeing what happens with any crosses that show up from these - they're not going to be bad traits to add to the mix.

 

[flowerbug]

ok, a question from the wider world was asked of me and i don't know the answer but some here may.

are there any purple snap/fresh beans that keep their purple color when cooked?

i don't think so, but i might as well ask.

 

[Blue-Jay]

ok, a question from the wider world was asked of me and i don't know the answer but some here may.

are there any purple snap/fresh beans that keep their purple color when cooked?

i don't think so, but i might as well ask.

I don't know of any. How did Purple Dove turn out when you cooked that one? Did that turn green?

 

[flowerbug]

I don't know of any. How did Purple Dove turn out when you cooked that one? Did that turn green?

yes, it turned green. it was a fine eating bean. very tender, mild, cooked quickly (8 minutes in the microwave and it was perfect for us). Mom liked it raw and cooked.

i just read an article that said try to soak them in vinegar before cooking and cook as little as possible. not sure it will work.

 

[Zeedman]

ok, a question from the wider world was asked of me and i don't know the answer but some here may.

are there any purple snap/fresh beans that keep their purple color when cooked?

i don't think so, but i might as well ask.

The answer is "no"... but with a qualified "yes". No common beans will keep their purple color when cooked. However, red or purple yardlong beans (such as Chinese Red Noodle) if cooked as snaps, will retain most of their color. The cooked beans will turn grayish, but a dash of vinegar will restore the beans to burgundy red. Not quite the same as snap beans, and the flavor may not please everyone... but very attractive as a side dish, in their red "gravy". DW & I love them that way, we are growing them again this year.

BTW, purple hyacinth beans - IMO the best flavored of the hyacinth beans - also lose their color when cooked.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

BTW, purple hyacinth beans - IMO the best flavored of the hyacinth beans - also lose their color when cooked.

That's true, but you have to be careful not to eat overripe ones, since purple podded lablabs tend to be dark seeded, and most dark seeded lablabs are toxic when mature.