2022 Little Easy Bean Network - We Are Beans Without Borders

[meadow]

This is a great idea! I also have organza bags that I could totally use for my trial beans, all of which are in <1 cup quantities, instead of filling my counter with deli cups!

I'm using organza bags for my single plant evaluations to help decide which plants are worthy of providing foundation stock! The bags don't work so well with larger quantities (say, half a cup?) as they are just a mass o' beans that are inconvenient to stir.

 

[Zeedman]

Hmm. I should have mentioned that I'm concerned about bugs* and would like to freeze all of the beans, but don't want to do that until they are dry... recollecting the exploded seed that I received from one supplier earlier this year and surmising that it may have been due to being frozen before it was dry.

I'm sure the beans will air dry as I've done that before, but the air is pretty moist here and I'm worried that the bugs may start popping out before the seeds are dry (it will be quite a while before we're heating the house).

*I managed to import pea weevils with the soup pea seed this year. I guess that is what I get for ordering them at the last minute and planting directly into the garden instead of doing the freeze, thaw, freeze thing. Did you know that they will remain dormant until Spring, but will become active if there are vibrations?

Fortunately I noticed some random bug when shelling and thought to enclose the drying seed in a paint strainer bag, so all weevils have been caught inside of the bag and cannot get out. Then I reach in, catch them, and drown 'em in soapy water. Not sure if there will be any peas left to eat, or that I'll want to eat.

Bugs certainly complicate seed handling. Fortunately I've only encountered that twice; once from a swap - and once commercially. Seed sellers should know better, and I told them so. Because of this, I always quarantine new seed in freezer bags, to prevent any possible insect contamination from spreading to my collection (or to my gardens). Since it will typically be at least a year or two before the seed is planted & any damage would be contained, I find no need for large-scale freezing. I would only freeze seed proactively if it would be planted in the same year received.

Drying seed to the low moisture level required for freezing can be difficult where the ambient humidity is high... and I'm sorry to hear, @meadow , that you have found yourself in that situation. Small lots of seeds can be dried in sealed jars with desiccant; there are color-changing gel crystals which are good for that purpose, and which are re-usable (they can be restored in the microwave). If that is not convenient, or for drying large amounts, perhaps a compromise on the dehydrator method? Perhaps run the dehydrator with the door or drawer partially open, to further moderate temperature. I would place a thermometer just inside the upper portion of the opening, to monitor the air temperature.

Years ago, for a different purpose, I made a low-temperature drying box. It was just a small appliance case, with a ceramic light fixture attached to the bottom, and a rheostat to regulate the voltage. Using an incandescent bulb as the heat source (with a shield to trap radiated heat) and monitored by a thermometer inserted through the top, the temperature could be very closely regulated. If you or someone you know is electrically inclined, that might be a simple low-cost solution for safe seed drying.

 

[flowerbug]

picked through the bean garden outside the fence in one section where the Purple Dove had some dry pods. didn't see too many other dry beans in the other parts but later on as i was weeding i saw enough dry pods in the Yellow Eye to go back through there tomorrow morning to finish getting what i missed today.

so it looks like i'll have all the dry bean pods picked in time before the rains get here tomrrow evening and later this week and into next week.

i'll have plenty of beans to go through and shell out for those days if i can't get outside. plenty of weeds i need to get after in a few gardens. i can finish up one of those gardens tomorrow or get going on yet another if i have the time and energy for it.

in other words, a pretty much normal end of the summer time dry bean picking and keeping on top of the rest of the gardens as best i can season.

 

[Blue-Jay]

did one of your plants throw albino, or is that just a wilting leaf? (lower left). For some reason, I usually got a handful of albinos every time I planted fresh rice beans (they happen a LOT with my Yuzus, but I am by now convinced those have a LOT of gene issues.)

No I didn't see any albino's in that crop of beans. The photo was taken in early August getting closer to the time the beans would start yellowing out their leaves and start drying pods.

 

[Zeedman]

The two soybean rescues are doing well, have reached edamame stage. They seem to enjoy pot culture, and look like they will both get dry seed in spite of the late start:

Bei 77-6177, starting to turn color. I think this is what you are growing, @digitS' ?


Sapporo Midori. Very short plants, but has a surprising yield of the largest edamame I've grown.

Two of the earlier soybeans planted in the garden (Zolta z Zolna and Rouest 13 A1 2) are turning color en masse, and beginning to dry... so it looks like soybeans won't be a total bust this year.

 

[meadow]

Shelled Marfax this evening, just in the nick of time. I was about halfway through when the wind picked up and we had to hustle to bring the rest of the hanging beans inside to prevent them from being threshed by Mother Nature. Some of the Marfax pods were popping open at the least disturbance, so I'm very glad they didn't get a chance to be blown around! Puts a new meaning to the phrase "from zero to 60" that's for sure; really got the adrenaline going. Who knew growing Network beans could be such a thrill ride?

 

[Triffid]

The other day I came across a beautiful bean from Korea in the collection of Guy Dirix, named ‘Corée de Sang’.

I noticed that it looked strikingly similar to the Japanese network bean ‘Kiagara Mame’, and went back to the listing for a closer look.

When I opened the image I noticed the file was named ‘Kaigara Mame’, with the a before the i, and I believe this may in fact be the correct spelling.

‘Kaigara’ translates to seashell, and the kanji for both ‘Kaigara Mame’ 貝殻豆 and ‘Kaimame’ 貝豆 (roughly ‘shellfish bean’) yield search results for the same bean.

The pattern on the beans is distinctly malacological so they are aptly named!

There are even selections of the same pattern in other colours.
‘Midori Kaimame’ 緑貝豆 (green shell bean) appears to be quite popular, commercially available online within Japan.

Apparently, they are native to Hokkaido and are becoming increasingly rare as fewer farmers produce them.

 

[HmooseK]

First of the season MN13


@Zeedman
I have a flower pot that has a couple plants I’m saving for seed. These came from what I labeled as Puny Pea Patch. It was a plant or two of every variety I had that didn’t look so great, so I just stuck them in one area by themselves. As it turns out, they thrived. There’s several pods still drying on the vine. Go figure.

 

[Decoy1]

The other day I came across a beautiful bean from Korea in the collection of Guy Dirix, named ‘Corée de Sang’.

I noticed that it looked strikingly similar to the Japanese network bean ‘Kiagara Mame’, and went back to the listing for a closer look.

When I opened the image I noticed the file was named ‘Kaigara Mame’, with the a before the i, and I believe this may in fact be the correct spelling.

‘Kaigara’ translates to seashell, and the kanji for both ‘Kaigara Mame’ 貝殻豆 and ‘Kaimame’ 貝豆 (roughly ‘shellfish bean’) yield search results for the same bean.

The pattern on the beans is distinctly malacological so they are aptly named!

There are even selections of the same pattern in other colours.
‘Midori Kaimame’ 緑貝豆 (green shell bean) appears to be quite popular, commercially available online within Japan.
View attachment 51912

Apparently, they are native to Hokkaido and are becoming increasingly rare as fewer farmers produce them.

Those are beautiful beans, Triffid. I love the pinkish colouration. Is that a photo of your own freshly harvested beans? Presumably they lose that colouring in store and end up with the more neutral tones of Bluejay77’s photo. And a great piece of research into the Japanese series of selections. I’ll pm you.

 

[Triffid]

The photo isn't mine, it was from a Japanese blog post about preparing a meal with the beans. That's after they were soaking overnight. They end up looking very much like stripey clams