Dwarf Bean for Shelling Big Borlotto - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds

The Big Borlotto Dwarf Shelling Bean gets its name from the spectacular colour of its pod and marbled purple and white beans. The large, wide pods, measuring 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8in) long, cluster together in contrast with the foliage. It is a feast for the eyes in the vegetable garden and on the plate, and children are not immune to its charm. Big Borlotto is an excellent way to introduce them to the delights of beans. They can be consumed young, in their pods, cooked or even raw. When harvested more mature, they can be shelled and prepared like flageolet beans. This magnificent bean variety is part of the culinary heritage of Italians, who enjoy it in soups such as Minestrone. The purple marbling disappears if cooked for too long. In terms of taste, the bean becomes very creamy with a slight hazelnut flavour. When dried, it can be stored for a long time. This flamboyant bean can be sown from April to July and continuously harvested from July to October. The more you pick, the more you harvest with this highly productive variety.

Whether consumed for its pod or its bean, the bean is a highly appreciated vegetable in gardens because it is very easy to grow. It is so punctual that the gardener knows the exact day when the first harvest will take place, which is 60 days after sowing.

Discovered in the New World and then acclimatised in Europe from the 16th century onwards, the bean has now become an essential legume in diets all over the world. Native Americans cultivated it for its dried seeds, but it was the Italians who, in the 18th century, introduced the consumption of the whole pod by picking it immature.
The bean is a vine plant with indeterminate growth. The primitive varieties are all vine plants and require support. Later, for practical reasons, dwarf varieties were selected, but all of them have tendrils that can wrap around a support.
The pods are usually green, sometimes yellow (butter beans), striped with red, or even amethyst. Among the varieties that are eaten at the fine or extra fine stage, there are the filament beans that have strings when fully ripe. Then the pod becomes parchment-like and loses its taste.

The sugar snap bean is generally more fleshy and can be consumed entirely, both seeds and pods, even when fully ripe. The more recently created filament - sugar snap beans can be consumed when young and extra fine, or when more fleshy like a sugar snap bean, as they do not form strings.

Among the shell beans (i.e., those whose seeds are consumed), a distinction is made between harvesting fresh beans and harvesting dry beans, which takes place 90 days after sowing.

Immature green pods are rich in vitamins A, B9, and C, as well as trace elements and minerals. Dry beans are also very rich in vitamin C, trace elements, and especially vegetable proteins.

Harvest: Harvesting fresh beans or young pods begins 60 days after sowing. For fresh beans, it should be done before the pods start to dehydrate and wrinkle. The beans should barely take on their color. For the consumption of pods, harvesting should take place every 2 or 3 days, both at the fine and extra fine stage for filament beans. Harvesting dry beans is done by cutting the entire plant, which is then hung in a dry and well-ventilated place. They can be shelled as needed.

Storage: Freezing pods is now the most common method of preservation. To do this, remove the stems, wash the pods, blanch them for 5 to 6 minutes in boiling water, then plunge them into cold water before drying them with a clean towel. Once placed in a bag, the beans can be stored in the freezer at -18°C (-0.4°F). However, canning is regaining popularity among an increasing number of consumers due to the inherent taste qualities of this preservation method. Like freezing, remove the stems, wash and blanch the beans, then immerse them in cold water. Put them in jars and fill them with salted boiling water. Close the jars and sterilize them in a pressure cooker or sterilizer for 1 hour and 30 minutes over medium heat. To do this, completely cover the jars with water after securing them well.

Dry beans: When completely dry, bean seeds can be stored for up to a year if kept in good conditions, such as in airtight jars.

Gardener's tip: Beans, like all members of the Fabaceae family, have the ability to fix nitrogen from the air in the soil through a plant-bacteria symbiosis. They therefore have the ability to regenerate soils. Beans can be included in crop rotation after burying green manure.
Beans are plants that are undemanding in nutrients. Traditionally, bean cultivation in Central and South America is associated with the cultivation of squash and corn, forming a triad with positive companionship. This association is locally called Milpa. Beans also associate well with eggplants, carrots, cabbages, potatoes, and radishes, as they protect each other. Avoid the presence of alliums or fennel, as their growth is inhibited.

A spray of nettle manure effectively fights aphid attacks and strengthens the plants that have benefited from it.