Dried beans have been a casualty of our fast food culture. Such a shame, because dried beans are a comfort food - once you rehydrate them, of course. I wonder if folks think the plants take up too much space in the garden, to sacrifice for a crop you can't eat until the end of the season. I hope not, because a teepee of pole beans will yield several quarts of beans. And there are so many beautiful, delicious varieties that can be turned into soups, stews, purees, curries or whole meals.
These are 'Christmas' lima beans. They're the size of a quarter and taste nothing like green limas. They're creamy and sweet and soul satisfying. Some more of my favorites are 'Hutterite', that melt into a puree or soup, meaty 'Borlotti" and the classic Tuscan white bean, 'Cannollini'. Experiment with some dried beans this winter and I bet you'll plan to grow some in your next garden.
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In the south, purple hull peas are a delicacy. I’d never seen them dried before though, only purchased fresh at farmer’s markets or frozen. This year I grew four plants in my tiny garden and they produced wonderfully all summer, but you don’t get enough at one time for a meal, so I dried them in the hot summer sun. To my surprise, they dried up and re hydrated perfectly!
Purple hull peas are new to me. I’ll have to put them on my list to look for.
As much as I like going into the garden and plucking things for dinner, I love being able to store up large quantities for the winter. You may not have that problem down south – or at least as long a winter – but it’s still nice to suddenly find yourself with a windfall, isn’t it?