The beans are coming in abundance now and I’m already thinking about what to sow next year. My friends will get bundles of beans over the next few weeks before the chutney pan comes out.
The veg patch wouldn’t be the same without growing colourful pretty Borlotti beans each season with their red/green striped pods. They always wow me with their speckled kidney shaped beans and if I’ve had a prolific year I store them to use throughout the winter in stews and soups.
A new addition to the plot this year was ‘Anellino di Trento’. This rare northern Italian heirloom speciality dwarf bush bean was a great success. It has small striking curly beans with delicate beautiful purple-violet mottling. The pods, which follow delicate pink flowers, are very tender, crisp and stringless and are much sought after in the culinary world. I wished I had remembered it was low growing variety before I had built a beautiful wigwam for them.
Old favourites of mine are ‘Cosse Violette’ is a decorative purple podded bean and have looked particularly stunning growing close to the Globe artichokes this summer and although they don’t keep their colour once cooked they are still a delicious climbing bean. Another is the ‘Sunshine’ Climbing French bean which will brighten up your wigwams with golden yellow stringless pods and seem to grow in abundance. They have a lovely buttery texture once cooked and offer something different from what you get in the supermarkets.
The most unusual of all the varieties is the Polish Independence Bean which a family friend’s wife gave us some to sow. They have a long and fascinating history in Poland. They are also known as “Eagle Beans”. In Polish they are “Fasola Niepodleglosci”. It is a white bean which is endowed by nature with a cherry red spot in the shape of an eagle. It is very similar to the eagle which is depicted on the Polish national emblems! Moreover, on some of the beans there is a spot resembling an eagle’s crown. It is hard to believe that these shapes are natural and have not been painted by hand. When she gave us the beans she explained that after the failure of the January Uprising in 1863, the beans had been considered a patriotic symbol. The invading Russian authorities had forbidden the cultivation these beans, and victimised the people who dared to do so. That is why the eagle beans were planted secretly, and sometimes among other plants, such as potatoes. This secret planting is a big reason why the Independence Beans have survived until the present times of Polish freedom.
We would love to know if you’ve grown any unusual or interesting beans this year that you think we should sow next spring.
