2025 Little Easy Bean Network - Growers Of The Future Will Be Glad We Saved

[Neen5MI]

yes, Venda is like that too, better to shell before they dry down completely. this remind me that i have some Provider to shell out at some time too. those seem to be larger beans but the pods are similar in how tough they are and how much work to get the seeds out and clean.

I shelled the 'Stanley' bush bean pods tonight. That was a truly stellar green bean, a standout of 2025. And it stood out again as a sheller - it nearly drove me to madness. Those itty bitty pods all dried & suctioned onto the itty bitty seeds. There is no kind of bean more tedious to shell that this type. It's almost like a rice bean, with a greenish tinge to the white seeds, I'm done now - thank heavens!

I was poised to never plant Kifl Mucko again for this very reason. Sooooo productive, but a PIA to shell by hand. It occurred to me to toss the pods in a pillowcase and stomp on them for 6-10 minutes. Magic! Seeds and pods separated beautifully, and I just waited for a breezy day to winnow the chaff. Did I lose an occasional seed that failed to thresh out? Sure, but it was worth the price to continue growing what is now one of my favorite bean varieties. The method is so effective that I could use it on all my completely dried beans, but I'd be done shelling everything in a couple hours! I find the hand shelling so relaxing (when it's easy) that I won't give it up.

I had 3/4 of a paper grocery bag full of these pods, and was so frustrated, I was literally prepared to compost the whole lot. I'm very glad an alternative presented itself.

 

[flowerbug]

I was poised to never plant Kifl Mucko again for this very reason. Sooooo productive, but a PIA to shell by hand. It occurred to me to toss the pods in a pillowcase and stomp on them for 6-10 minutes. Magic! Seeds and pods separated beautifully, and I just waited for a breezy day to winnow the chaff. Did I lose an occasional seed that failed to thresh out? Sure, but it was worth the price to continue growing what is now one of my favorite bean varieties. The method is so effective that I could use it on all my completely dried beans, but I'd be done shelling everything in a couple hours! I find the hand shelling so relaxing (when it's easy) that I won't give it up.

I had 3/4 of a paper grocery bag full of these pods, and was so frustrated, I was literally prepared to compost the whole lot. I'm very glad an alternative presented itself.

i've used a variety of methods over the years but my favorite is by hand shelling as then i can do selections based upon how easy it is to get the beans out of the shells or how many have stickers (little bits of the pod stuck to them) or ...

if the beans are super dry stepping on them may break them apart.

i usually don't have enough pods of these kinds of beans to worry about how i will shell them. even if they are a PITA i'll get through them eventually.

 

[heirloomgal]

i've used a variety of methods over the years but my favorite is by hand shelling as then i can do selections based upon how easy it is to get the beans out of the shells or how many have stickers (little bits of the pod stuck to them) or ...

if the beans are super dry stepping on them may break them apart.

i usually don't have enough pods of these kinds of beans to worry about how i will shell them. even if they are a PITA i'll get through them eventually.

I have always relished the process of shelling beans too. This year though I tried something different, packing the pods into paper bags when dried and setting them aside. I thought this was a good idea for 2 reasons, one that I could be fully sure that the beans are deeply dried to ensure the best seedcoats. And 2, to be able to take my time and enjoy the process more. Boy, that did not happen. The opposite transpired, I've felt terribly rushed and it's been a chore like experience instead of reliable bliss. The bags took up too much room in the house and everyone grumbled about it, lol. Definitely not going to do it this way again, I'll shell them sooner than later. My intention to sell some Jerusalem artichokes this fall totally backfired as result of my plan too, I got too swamped with shelling to fill orders for those. Bummer too, because there is interest in them but I just don't have the time right now.

 

[flowerbug]

i was sure weeks ago that the garden i started working on today did not have any beans left in it that i was particularly worried about.

as i was double checking today i came across some Four Corners Red plants that had plenty of pods on them, they all need to dry down a bit more and i'm not sure of the condition but even if they're not perfect i can still grow them again next year. they are later than i'd generally like.

 

[Blue-Jay]

I grew the traditional Rio Zape this summer. Not the one bred by the U of California. Had we not had that extra sevearl weeks of warm weather these would not have turned like they did for me this year. I would probably have been pulling up plants and taking them home to dry in my garage. However this is the most beautiful and productive Rio Zape crop I have ever grown. Even at this I severed the plants from their roots and let them dry in the sun for a little over a week. This bean was the very last to be harvested

 

[heirloomgal]

Happy to hear it @Blue-Jay! Always such a pleasure when a late maturing bean variety turns out so nice, and you get lucky with the weather!

I am officially done shelling absolutely everything and it feels darn great. I did the last ones late last night and everything is in jars. All things considered, a good year. I've had better, but still plenty to be happy about. Voles killed several plants mid season, so my yields were really hit by that, but what was not subject to voles did great. I continue to be amazed by the Appalachian varieties, again this year they are some of my best producers. Once Halloween is over I'm hoping for some sunny days to take pictures of the pretty ones.

My next step is to figure out the Zonos app so I can get the network beans off to you @Blue-Jay. Cross your fingers for me please, my friend just tried to mail some peas to an SSE member and used the app with no success. She appealed for help but Zonos is so swamped right now they said they'd need at least 2 days to get back to her order. She is really tech savvy too, so now I'm really worried! I'm thinking I should wait to put it in the mail until you come back?