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Chinese Red Noodle Bean

W

wordwiz

WOW!

I checked my plants Saturday, including my Red Noodle beans and few things were ready to pick. Those beans had little sprouts that were maybe an inch long. But we have had a couple of showers (actually a downpour today) and I figured my wax beans had some more ready. While harvesting them, I looked up and found this thing growing. Both of them are 25" long, 3" longer than optimal for harvesting according to some web sites.

There's only three plants, thanks to my son who decided to mow some of the garden and killed two of them. But there are dozens and dozens of other pods growing and if they keep it up for another three months, I should have a few quarts of these.

noodle.jpg


Mike
 
Hard to tell the size, got something for scale? Looks neat.
 
They are 25" long. Don't know what they taste like, I'll have to fix them. According to the company I bought the seeds from, they are supposed to be sauteed, not boiled like other beans.

Mike
 
Ciao Michael-

Saute Asian-style with sesame oil, garlic, and caramelized red onion for a lovely side dish. How wonderful that your climate allows you to grow them. I've tried in the past but I only end up getting a few as a novelty.
 
Sorellina,

I would think you could grow them. We have had a rather cool summer, as our summers go. The past few days, it has been as much as 15 degrees below normal and we have only had maybe to days at the most above 85, only two as high as 80 degrees.

The hardest part is getting the seeds to germinate. I sowed probably 20, maybe 30 seeds and only five came up. My son (not sun) in one of his not-so-bright things, mowed close to them and killed two of the five. Still, those three plants, as they produce the way other growers have said they will, will produce lots of beans per plant constantly until the frost.

Mike
 
Is this what they make red bean ice cream out of? If so, give it a go! It's delicious.
 
TBO, I have no idea what they do with these beans but I have not heard of making ice cream from them. But I have heard of Red Beans and Rice! My son, a step below a chef but very knowledgeable about food (but not lawn mowing!) also said to saute it. Personally, I want to use them in a three-bean salad.

One thing I am seeing after just a couple of days - the plants produce bunches of beans. I'm adopting AJ's habits and keeping track of the harvest.

Mike
 
It's not the same... the one for ice cream is the Azuki bean.
It would not be a traditional red beans and rice.
Bean salad seems like a no brainer! A nice vinaigrette...
 
Grown it and many other long beans in the past. I LOVE these types of veggies. :) Baker Creek seeds (rareseeds.com) has an incredible selection. I was actually at their store location three days ago. :) 750 miles away from my home. lol. I LOVE that place.
 
Ciao Michael-

I've heard that those tropical beans can be tough to germinate as well. Several growers have suggested to soak the beans overnight as you would do for sweet peas. I don't think you need to nick the seed coat with an emery board though. I go through the hassle of doing this for sweet peas because I love their colour and fragrance so much in between my edible peas. Have you tried growing those oddity asparagus beans or winged beans? I think you're to treat them the same as those super long beans.

I'm not having a particularly great year with my beans so far. I think they're really resenting the cool, wet weather we continue to have. I know for next year, I'll be changing the way I plant significantly by increasing the number of beans I sow per trellis support from 6 to 24. I lose several every season to bugs and I rely on a good crop for winter use. My Sunset Runner Beans have disappointed me more than the others because it's my first year growing them. I sowed the entire packet and I have 3 bean plants which should make it far enough to not only give me beans but also seeds, so I can plant more next year.
 
Sorellina,

Thanks for the tip about soaking the beans. Five out of 30 seeds germinating is not very good. Of course, I don't know what I would do if 25 of them had come up - these beans seem to be extremely productive, looking at the number of baby pods on each plant.

My bush beans have been doing great despite the weather. I harvested about two quarts from 20 feet which is good for the first time. I've got another 12 feet or so to pick tonight. The wax beans have also done great. Six quarts so far from 10 feet, and they need picked again.

I can usually get two crops of the bush beans per year so I might make my goal of 24 quarts of them.

Mike
 
Hey cmpman1974,

Can I preserve these beans by blanching them? I know one is not suppose to cook them like green beans but rather saute them, but I presume that blanching will not be much different from pressure cooking them. Though there are only three plants, it looks like I could end up with maybe 24 pints - they really seem to be productive.

Mike
 
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