Kentucky Wonder as dried beans?

[cschick]

Despite being munched on for months by Japanese beetles, my Kentucky Wonder pole beans just kept going and going and going . . . until everyone here was kind of sick of them. So, I've been mainly ignoring them for the past couple of weeks.

Now I have hundreds of pods that are all lumpy and have actual beans in them. I'm considering just continuing to ignore them and dry on the poles. Do Kentucky Wonders make decent dried beans for soups, chilis, etc?

[Erinz]

yes! Same thing happened with us last year and I ended up letting them dry on the vines. They made really fabulous dried beans.

I did a post on my garden blog about them:
http://themorsefamilyspot.blogspot.c...ans-dried.html

This year I lost 2 entire crops to our chickens.... you just inspired me to get another crop going tomorrow! Thanks!

[cschick]

Originally Posted by Erinz

yes! Same thing happened with us last year and I ended up letting them dry on the vines. They made really fabulous dried beans.

I did a post on my garden blog about them:
http://themorsefamilyspot.blogspot.c...ans-dried.html

This year I lost 2 entire crops to our chickens.... you just inspired me to get another crop going tomorrow! Thanks!

Thanks!

I also poked around on the web yesterday and discovered that Kentucky Wonders are apparently recommended as fresh/shell beans for cooking this around this time of year. You grab green pods that have fully developed beans/shell them and use them in any dried bean recipe without soaking. So, we're having bean soup for dinner tonight.