Question for the gardening gurus (drying-type beans)...

[susanna]

I grew two types of heirloom drying beans this year (Boston and Cherokee from Seed Savers Exchange). Trouble is, I've never grown "drying" beans; I've only grown pole or bush for green eating.

How do you harvest them? Leave them on the plant until they dry out? Or pick them as you go and dry them otherwise? It's late enough in the season that I can freely admit that I let them dry on the plant. They're actually beautiful and relatively dry. But I want to know what others do, especially as regards increasing yields. I know that a lot of pole varieties just keep producing if you pick the pods. I didn't do that with the drying beans, but wondered if I could have?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks! :-)

on edit: subject clarification

[HamdenRice]

1. Can I make an economic suggestion?

I tend to grow stuff that saves money -- especially tomatoes, string beans, berries, greens and herbs.

This is a bit OT, but it seems to me that dried beans are so cheap in the supermarket, that it doesn't make economic sense to me to grow them.

That said, I know that in the third world, they dry them on the plant and then thresh the dried pods.

[susanna]

2. By all means, make the suggestion.

Thing is, I do like to try to grow something "new" every year just for the experience, and this year it was dried beans. Plus they're heirloom, so it is also a seed-saving experiment.

Thanks for your input.

[sazemisery]

3. Fresh beans

Pick pods when beans inside are plump and are the size of the seed you planted or larger (taking water content into consideration). Pods that are brown and dry are OK also.

I preserve my fresh beans by shelling them and then blanching in boiling water for 2 minutes. Dip in ice water bath, pat dry and freeze. I have a Food Saver so I vacuum them in 4 cup portions. When it is time for beans I just use them with any bean recipe.

Mr.sazemisery never liked pinto beans until we had them fresh. Yummmmy.

[susanna]

4. Thanks, sazemisery...

I appreciate the tips - they should come in handy. :-)

I too wasn't a huge dried bean fan until I bought some fresh ones a few years back at Detroit's Eastern Market. The difference between the fresh beans and the store shelf packaged variety is astounding. I mean I'll eat both, but I really wanted to try growing them this year as I'm developing an heirloom seed collection and didn't have drying beans yet.