Harvest and handle beans: don’t forget to boil, and try drying!
Homegrown beans are a delicious treat! Harvest them at just the right time and boil fresh pods to destroy their toxic lectin.
1. Keep an eye out for when your beans are ready to harvest, and start picking them while the pods are still slender. They’re at their most tender before the seeds begin to swell. The pods mature quickly, so it’s best to harvest them a couple of times a week.
2. Handle the pods as soon as possible after picking, because fresh beans don’t keep well and can toughen quickly. If you can’t prepare them right away, store them in the refrigerator at 2–5 degrees Celsius (36–41 degrees Fahrenheit) and use them within a couple of days. Beans are sensitive to ethylene, so keep them away from apples.
3. Rinse the beans, remove the stem ends, and break the pods into pieces if you like. Fresh beans are crisp, so you don’t need scissors—just snap them by hand.
4. Boil or steam the pods for 5–10 minutes to destroy the toxic lectin in fresh beans. Don’t overcook them; they should still have a bit of bite. Yellow pods stay yellow when boiled, while purple pods turn dark green.
5. Enjoy the blanched beans right away or, if you plan to use them later, cool them quickly in cold water. Rapid cooling helps them keep their color and crispness. Drain them well and gently pat them dry with a towel if you like.
6. Refrigerate cooked beans and use them within a couple of days. You can also freeze them in portion-sized bags. See food writer’s tips for freezing beans [in Finnish].
7. Use beans in both cold and hot dishes. They’re tasty in salads, soups, sides, and stews. You can also pickle them for a tangy kick, alone or with other vegetables.
Try drying
Choose beans that have time to form seeds in the pod if you want to dry them. Let the seeds mature in the pods as long as possible. If frost threatens, bring the plants indoors so they can finish maturing.
Cut the stems and hang them to dry in a well-ventilated area. Once the pods are dry and open easily, remove the seeds and let them dry completely at room temperature. Before cooking, soak these hard seeds in water overnight. Since dried beans are still raw, they must be cooked thoroughly. According to the Finnish Food Authority, dried common beans need 30–45 minutes of boiling, while runner beans require 1–1.5 hours.
You can also dry beans in their pods. Blanch and cut them first, then dry them in a food dehydrator or in a warm, airy spot.
