Growing Delicious Horticulture Shelling Beans

The French horticultural beans are cranberry-type beans that grow on bean plants of bush-type that generates runners. These plants can grow a height of 45cm or 18 inches. According to Cook’s Info, they produce pods of cream color with notable dark red stripes adorning them.

Everwilde Farms,  state that the plants of French Horticultural beans thrive well in heavy soils and can yield flat green pods of 8” that are mainly utilized as snap beans. Once dried, these pods become yellow in color and splashed with red, while its purple seeds are perfect for making dry soup bean.

These beans are half runner type that other people consider as pole bean, turning mature after 68 days.  The French Horticulture strain is the combination of red cranberry beans and white beans. They have close association to one bean type called borlotti in Italy. American, Italian, and French chefs prize their unique varieties of the bean for its nutty and creamy flavor once cooked.

Shelling these beans from the pod is also very easy. The French horticultural beans are often used as shelling bean, or that stage in between fresh and dried beans. Once dried, these beans turn dark brown pink or buff pink with some red splotches.

The French horticultural beans are firm when cooked with a bit nutty flavor. These beans are also in demand in France. One pound of these beans is equivalent to 4 to 5 cups when cooked.

These beans are also perfect when frozen and canned.
This article by Ohio farm girl’s Adventures In The Good Land has some useful information about horticulture beans.

 http://adventuresinthegoodland.blogspot.com/2011/08/holy-horticulture-beans.html