Feb 6, 20202 min read

Runner Beans - The bean you absolutely must grow!

Updated: Feb 22, 2020

I’m obsessed! Scarlet Runner bean ‘seeds’ are AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS! Most people don’t eat these and don’t even realize you can! They've long heard they can't. What a waste. Who’s grown runner beans to pod/seed before and never eaten them? 🙋🏽‍♀️ Keep reading - you've got to cook with these delightful beans!

I finished harvesting these in Nov in the greenhouse and cooked them last night. I am going to cover my property in Scarlett Runner Beans next year, lol, what a fantastic protein source. I ate so many flowers and pods that I only ended up with a cup of beans this year and I need LOTS.

They‘re large for starters. Kidney beans have nothing on these. They’re both sweet and nutty. Even when very well cooked for reduced lectins / gassiness they hold together beautifully & firmly while still being silky inside. And there has been zero gassiness! ZERO. This is not your average bean! 💜

You need to grow them fresh for this experience, I harvested these a few weeks ago. I soaked them 24hrs (because it has been a few weeks) and then cooked approx 30 mins boiling in salted veggie broth. The skin stays intact so you get a 'bite' before hitting the pillowy nutty inside. They'd be amazing salted and roasted or pan fried with garlic. I'm already salivating, I need more!!

So, grow Scarlet Runner Beans for the gorgeous tasty flowers, harvest the ripe bean ‘seeds’! too! Look for: Scarlet Runner Beans, all seed companies carry them. They'll climb 8+' feet tall, will be covered in a profusion of gorgeous flowers that are edible, then small fuzzy flat pods that are edible.

Once the seeds start forming, stop eating until you cook them (see above). The pods get 8-12" long! These make a great privacy screen too! You don't need many, DO NOT Plant them like peas, lol! This is a strong vine, 1 seed covered at least 30sq' with vine by fall! It's a perennial so it comes back in milder climates and in my greenhouse.