Common Bean Castandel

The Dwarf Bean Castandel is a recent improvement of the Contender snap bean, forming medium-sized pods (15 to 16 cm (6in)) with light beige grains. Castandel has good resistance to bean diseases and very high and uniform productivity. Additionally, the harvests can be spaced several days apart, making it an easy and rewarding variety to grow. It does not produce any filament or parchment-like skin. It is also interesting for its quality of flavor and is suitable for all culinary variations. There are many ways to enjoy green beans, especially Italian, Indian, or Lebanese preparations that are best enjoyed fresh. These recipes are ideal during summer harvests. Castandel is well suited for canning and freezing. You will harvest once a week from July to October for sowings from April to August.

Whether consumed for its pod or its seed, 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 date he will make his first harvest, which is 60 days after sowing.

Discovered in the New World and acclimated 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, initiated the consumption of the whole immature pod by picking it early.
The bean is a vine plant with indeterminate growth. Primitive varieties are all climbing plants and require support. Later, for practical reasons, dwarf varieties were selected, but they all have tendrils that can wrap around a support.
The pods are generally green, sometimes yellow (butter beans), streaked with red or even amethyst. Among the varieties that are eaten when they are thin or extra thin, there are the filet beans that develop filaments when ripe. Then the pod becomes parchment-like and loses its taste.
The snap bean is generally fleshy and can be consumed entirely, both the seeds and pods, even when fully ripe. The more recently created filet - snap beans can be consumed when young and extra thin until they become fleshy, like a snap bean, as they do not form filaments.

Among the shell beans (meaning only the seeds are consumed), the harvest of fresh beans differs from the harvest of dry beans, which occurs 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.

Harvesting: Harvesting fresh beans or young pods begins 60 days after sowing. For fresh beans, it must be done before the pods start to dehydrate and develop wrinkles. The beans should barely have taken on their color. For pod consumption, the harvest should take place every 2 or 3 days, both at the thin and extra thin stages for filet beans. The harvest of dry beans is done by completely cutting the plant, which is then hung in a dry and well-ventilated place. The beans can be shelled as needed.

Storage: Freezing pods is now the most common method of preservation. To do this, remove the ends, wash the beans, blanch them for 5 to 6 minutes in boiling water, then plunge them into cold water and dry them with a clean cloth. Once placed in bags, the beans can be placed in the freezer at -18°C (-0.4°F). However, canning is regaining popularity among a growing number of consumers due to the inherent taste qualities of this preservation method. As with freezing, remove the ends, wash and blanch the beans, then place them in jars and fill them with salted boiling water. Seal the jars and sterilize them in a pressure cooker or with a sterilizer for 1 hour and 30 minutes over medium heat. To do this, completely cover the jars with water after closing them tightly.

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

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

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