2021 Little Easy Bean Network - Bean Lovers Come Discover Something New !

[heirloomgal]

That was 2016 and I can still remember that the 32's were the big problem. The 32-B bag was OK but mold started in the 32-A bag. Others had problems too but not like the 32-A's.

The beans I tried that did mold over, whoa, that is possibly one of the worst degenerating vegetative smells I've ever experienced. Brain evaporating. I can't imagine when it takes place in a relatively closed plastic bag...

 

[Artorius]

Got some bean mail today, a new one I'm trying called 'Ferris Heirloom'. I got it from a seed company in Manitoba who got it from local lady, who I think brought it from Holland at some point. I find they look like yogurt covered raisins. I picked out the ones that had a little more pink in them, some have only the faintest pink specks. I'm going to select for the pinker ones.

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The Dutch Hinrichs Riesen bean is similar in color, but the seeds are more elongated.

 

[heirloomgal]

The Dutch Hinrichs Riesen bean is similar in color, but the seeds are more elongated.

That's amazing, it's looks almost exactly like the bean I got. You know beans @Artorius !

 

[Artorius]

@heirloomgal
Last Thursday I took it out of my mailbox. Such a coincidence.

 

[BeanWonderin]

So after three years of growing them, we finally had enough Haricot Tarbais to make cassoulet. It was the first time I have had the dish and, though it wasn’t quite what I expected, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve wanted to make it for many years, so it was a good excuse to grow the Tarbais.

The first year I grew them three sisters style and that section of the garden was very wet. We only got a handful of beans.

The second year those beans ended up in a row that succumbed to overcrowding and weed pressure. Again, a handful.

We had a pretty good crop the third year but that section of the garden got tilled under before I could harvest them. My friend didn’t know I was was still letting them dry on the vine. I did collect some good pods and a number of loose beans that had scattered afterward.

Unfortunately, Tarbais is not in the garden plan for this year and since we used the whole harvest in this one batch, it may be a while until we make it again. I’m sure other beans could be used but it just wouldn’t be the same, with the three year process and all.

 

[flowerbug]

So after three years of growing them, we finally had enough Haricot Tarbais to make cassoulet. It was the first time I have had the dish and, though it wasn’t quite what I expected, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve wanted to make it for many years, so it was a good excuse to grow the Tarbais.

View attachment 39488

The first year I grew them three sisters style and that section of the garden was very wet. We only got a handful of beans.

The second year those beans ended up in a row that succumbed to overcrowding and weed pressure. Again, a handful.

We had a pretty good crop the third year but that section of the garden got tilled under before I could harvest them. My friend didn’t know I was was still letting them dry on the vine. I did collect some good pods and a number of loose beans that had scattered afterward.

Unfortunately, Tarbais is not in the garden plan for this year and since we used the whole harvest in this one batch, it may be a while until we make it again. I’m sure other beans could be used but it just wouldn’t be the same, with the three year process and all.

that looks like a precursor to the jumbalaya or other similar cassaroles of the central south?

heheh, i've had some beans like that too, where i wonder if i'll ever have enough to make them alone instead of using them in blends with other beans or giving them away.

yesterday i cooked up some of the Fordhook lima beans and as usual they were delicious. i have about six lbs of beans and some peas too on my counter here in my room that are going to be eaten up over the next few months.

 

[Zeedman]

So after three years of growing them, we finally had enough Haricot Tarbais to make cassoulet. It was the first time I have had the dish and, though it wasn’t quite what I expected, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve wanted to make it for many years, so it was a good excuse to grow the Tarbais.

View attachment 39488

The first year I grew them three sisters style and that section of the garden was very wet. We only got a handful of beans.

The second year those beans ended up in a row that succumbed to overcrowding and weed pressure. Again, a handful.

We had a pretty good crop the third year but that section of the garden got tilled under before I could harvest them. My friend didn’t know I was was still letting them dry on the vine. I did collect some good pods and a number of loose beans that had scattered afterward.

Unfortunately, Tarbais is not in the garden plan for this year and since we used the whole harvest in this one batch, it may be a while until we make it again. I’m sure other beans could be used but it just wouldn’t be the same, with the three year process and all.

Tarbais is a fairly long-season bean, they are probably a stretch for your location @BeanWonderin . If you haven't started them as transplants, that might improve the yield. Started as transplants here, mine dried down just before frost - but they did all make it. The yield potential is high, I ended up with 5# from a 16-foot row.

What caught my attention about Tarbais was that there were no malformed or under-developed seeds. In each pod, there was either a good bean in each position, or an empty space, either/or. Almost like the plant was communicating in digital. Almost no culls either, except for a couple pods which had touched the ground... one of the most consistently high quality beans I've grown.

There is another bean I grow, Tetovac, which appears to be closely related. The seed shape is different (thinner, and cupped) but still glossy white, and the same seed quality, yield, and DTM. I've never compared their culinary qualities though.

 

[flowerbug]

for me this past season was much better for quality seed than the previous year. at least for those that finished on time...

hope this coming season does as well or better, i'm going to be doing more block plantings than i did last year. intermixing wasn't the best approach especially with plants of different habits, but that is how i learn.

 

[Myrthryn]

Tarbais looks like a great bean. Going to add it to the hill of beans to grow this year.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

@heirloomgal

There are at least two major groups of rice beans which I think of as Northern and Southern versions. If the seed is shiny about the size of an actual grain of rice and more or less the shade of red of most azukis (i.e. a sort of burgundy color) that's a Southern strain. That's too day length sensitive to work this far north (or indeed anywhere much above the tropics)

The Northern one is a little bit bigger (some strains a LOT bigger) a little bit fatter and a lighter shade of red (more like a hotdog). It also tends to have a matte seed coat (the ones in the photo are probably Northern the ones below are Southern.
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SOME of the Northern are short enough season that you can get mature seed back. It's usually only a small percentage but you can build from there.

Just a note that, on Friday I managed to my triple surprise to find about 6lbs of type of rice beans that can produce productive types.

Triple in that 1. Southern are more common in commerce than Northern 2. I found them at the local Chinese market, so I was actually there to find them [I'm staying out of the Chinatowns in the city until COVID is taken care of] and 3. They actually had some usable stuff for me to work with [because I work with odd varieties, I only grow the "off type" colored seeds* and those are a lot less frequent in the bags than they used to be, so I don't buy often])
So if anyone wants any, let me know (please ask for measure by WEIGHT, not number of seeds, since they are too small for it to not be tedious to count numbers out)

*Well, on PURPOSE. I toss a lot of seed out for the birds, and some of that winds up getting buried or pooped out intact are germinates elsewhere. I tend to pull those one up or mow them as weeds, but if a plant lasts long enough to make flowers, it get's to stay and be collected.