Pulses have to be my favourite item come harvest time. This year I grew traditional French flageolet beans and some small Coco Nain Blanc. But most prolific were the Spagna Bianco, a large Italian variety similar to butter beans/lima beans.

I’ve previously had only modest harvests from bean plants but these produced lots of pods, which I’ve been leaving to dry on the plant. You can tell when they’re ready not just by the pod being brown and crispy but also by shaking it and hearing the beans rattle inside.  Below is today’s harvest.  About the same quantity again is still on the plants, yet to change from green to brown.

Splitting the pods open reveals these bright white beans, slightly larger than the butter/lima beans one finds in cans.  Here they’re very firm – purposely so as it’d be risky to try to store moist, undried ones.

The lovely harvest below will now go into a jar, available for overnight soaking, and including in stews or soups or even at room temperature in a delicious salad.