Bean Questions

[Cornbelt]

How far north do you have to be to grow Great Northerns, and where do you get seeds?  Also, in making leather breeches, do you shell 'em or rehydrate 'em for a meal?

[Arier Blut]

I grow great northerns in zone 7. I just plant the ones you buy in a bag at the supermarket, same goes for pintos. Both are planted in spring after last frost and grow in summer.

[Larry Hall]

if you're still monitoring the thread

leather britches or "shuck beans" as we call them need to be rehydrated at cooking time

you can soak over night or at least for 3-4 hours before cooking

they will plump up nicely and have a wonderful flavor, i only did about 20 strings this year, enough for 10 meals.. cut up a smoked picnic, make some cornbread (not johnny cake) and cut up a few onions.. MMMM

do not shell them!!! the just string, snap and string to dry..

good luck

LH

[Cornbelt]

Well, I'm still getting a few KY wonders, so I strung some. Don't know how critical the humidity is for drying, so I hung 'em in the pantry where we have a dehumidifier. I guess that might work, as the ones outside are drying out. Can you string 'em whole, or will they dry better snapped first?

[docmagnum357]

Dry better snapped.  You don't have to string them, my wife's mother used to put them on the tin roof on a sheet. We always strung them, but mother in laws were just as good.  We always soaked them overnight.  I always used greasy beans, mother in law half runners.  Ky wonders a a tougher bean.....might be better.

[ohio_boy]

I don't know if anyone is still looking at this post, but will a de-hydrator work for these?

[Cornbelt]

Yep.

[ohio_boy]

Cool, thanks for the reply!!

[montveil]

You can grow pintos as far north as Fargo, ND
T make leather britches you use green beens that are still young, string them on a string to dry.
Hang in a DRY warm place- I know folks that use an car as a dehydrator in the summer and just leave the windows open a bit. If you will drive around with your bean strings I'm sure you will be the talk of the town

[bilmac]

So are pintos a pure strain or a hybrid? I've tried several different dry beans but it's hard to beat pintos. Where did bean man go?

I have an ice shanty that is well insulated, but has big windows that I face south when it is on the ice. I'm thinking it looks like a walk-in dehydrator in the summer.

 I've always wanted to try to make leather breeches and always thought I would have to string them, just drying them on a tray seems like a lot easier.