2022 Little Easy Bean Network - We Are Beans Without Borders

[Zeedman]

I heard that many farmers Here were waiting for today's rain bc the soybeans are too dry.
Ever heard of that?!?!?

Never heard of that. Farmers locally allow the plants to fully dry after the freeze, and are often working overtime to harvest before the rain. Perhaps because when very dry, soybean pods can shatter, expelling the seed? One of my soybeans started shattering in the garden as I cut & untangled the plants, I had to handle them gently, and pick up some loose seeds.

But since moisture can cause spoilage, I would think that harvesting after a rain would be risky. The soybeans would need to be dried quickly.

 

[ducks4you]

Just curious. My source was reporting information Heard, so not necessarily a good source.

 

[ducks4you]

Just checked my bean pods drying out downstairs on top of a heat mat and under a gro light. Feels like most of them are dried out. Should I shell them and then let the beans dry out more?
STILL a newbie, so thoughts appreciated!

 

[jbosmith]

Just checked my bean pods drying out downstairs on top of a heat mat and under a gro light. Feels like most of them are dried out. Should I shell them and then let the beans dry out more?
STILL a newbie, so thoughts appreciated!

I just leave mine in beer flats for months at a time until they get in my way. @Zeedman has mentioned putting them away when static ("Sweater lightning"?) becomes a problem which I think is a great benchmark.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Yeah and there are peanuts too. Well how about fortune cookies LOL. Maybe you could jump a plane and take a ride over to Artorious's house.

If all else fails, contact me. At the rate I am eating them, by the middle of next week I'll have two or three HUNDRED Hunza-type apricot pits gnawed, soaked, cleaned, dried and waiting to be cracked open for my next attempt to try and grow a few (spacecase0, on my other plant forum, said the kernels I sent him not only took, but that the two her selected to plant had hit 6 and 12 feet respectively in about a year, so I know that growing them is possible. And I know they don't need vernalization, since I have seen them sprout when put straight into the incubator.) and might be glad of the help and relief of my wrists.

 

[heirloomgal]

So, have you thought about pistachios?

The last soybean ("Seneca") was shelled yesterday. Now I started shelling out this year's "Painted Mountain" seed corn, so at least I don't have to go cold turkey. That alone will take 2-3 days by hand. I had originally planned to grow "Gaspe"... maybe next year.

cold turkey, you know the mind of a seed saver well...

 

[heirloomgal]

I

Gaspe is a great variety. Just ask my squirrels.

Is it as crazy short as it looks in pictures?

@ducks4you, the beans tend to be better quality if you shell them when the pods are crispy level dry. But it's good measure to wait until Nov-Dec to seal them up. So easy to lose beans to premature storage.

 

[jbosmith]

Is it as crazy short as it looks in pictures?

It's super small. Supposedly it predates all of the pasty settlers from Europe, including the vikings, who saw it growing in Newfoundland. Who knows how accurate that is, but I like the story.

 

[heirloomgal]

I packed up my open air drying Jembo Polish seeds tonight into a paper bag. It seemed to do very well judging by the seed, few orangey areas here and there, but well filled out and nearly every pod was harvested and shelled. It did seem to produce less than some of the other types though; does it tend to be a less productive variety? I do find some bigger seeded beans can be a bit less productive.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

@heirloomgal, given your wow emoji at my last message, I should point out that, unlike a standard apricot, a Hunza type one is only about as big as a large cherry (and the pit is nearly half of that), so it's not nearly so much as you think. In terms of actual flesh consumed, one 7oz. bag of them (how they are sold) probably has the same net amount of edible flesh as a medium size box of raisins.