I've grown and eaten beans in pod form before, but I've never left them on the vine or bush to mature. I'm growing many kinds this year to mature on the bush so I can take out the actual beans.
I have no idea how to do this! Do I left the bush dry out and die? Do I dry the beans somehow? What will it look like?
Thanks.
Harvesting BEANS?
Most home garden varieties will mature over a period of time so you may want to harvest them before they stay on the vine too long as mold and spoilage can set in on beans that touch the ground or are wet a lot. Beans can be harvested as soon as the pods turn yellow. or after they have dry pods. In either case it is best to let them dry out well after shelling before they are sealed up in containers.
how do I dry them out? just let them sit out on the counter?
A screen is nice. Do you have an old window screen you could use?
Or you could set them on burlap on a wooden frame. That way they get air all around them.
I saw somewhere on the net a woman using an old ladder for a dryer. She had screening made that fit between the rungs, and placed her bounty to dry on the screens. It was pretty in the garden, and so functional. It looked like she could dry a lot!