Black Beans - almost as fun as watching paint dry

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captain belly

captain belly

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2 1/2 hours of shelling black beans for less than a 22oz cup worth. Not sure if I'm going to be growing these ever again. Hope they're good....
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I shell by hand too. It takes awhile and some beans are just easier than others. It will also depend on how dry they are. I've not done black beans so have no advise with that variety. Brown Crowder I like to do when they just start turning from green to brown. I pick them when their shell is an off white color. While snipping the ends off try to pull down the stringy sides. Others I will pick, then let them air dry on a towel. Once totally dry, throw in a big bag a thresh. Southern style beans is one of my go-to crops for summer since not much else wants to grow good here. I really would like to get a hand cranked Mr Pea Sheller. My buddy has an electric commercial pea sheller which work amazingly fast!

Edit: Should have said Mr Pea Sheller not me pea sheller
 
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Dani said:
I really would like to get a hand cranked Me Pea Sheller. My buddy has an electric commercial pea sheller which work amazingly fast!
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WOW! Didn't know there was such a thing. I just looked it up on Amazon. Pricey, but so are combines. Thanks for the tip on this!
reminds me of my tomato mill..... which I couldn't live without.
 
I hand shell also, I find it therapeutic and relaxing.

I let them dry on the vine, harvest and put in a paper bag, waiting for a slack day. I use a box like what 12 oz cans come in, the 24 pack. It is about 2” tall and fairly large. You could cut a side off another box to make the same thing. Think of the top of a ream of paper box. Sit on the couch with a movie on and shell over the box. I can pick most of the larger pieces of shell out then just toss the shelled beans and chaff into another bag. I take them out later and wind blow the chaff from the dry beans.

To get the beans free I crack them along their length then pull the sides apart and the beans fall out or with a little finger action they work their way out. Once you get the feel for where to make the crack along the length it goes pretty fast. Most come apart in two full halves.

And yes, it seems like very little return for all that work but they do add up. I have never tried to shell them soft, like Dani mentions. I will have to give it a try after the rain stops, I have a row that is turning yellow now. I was always afraid I would damage the beans if they were not really dry.
 
Woody said:
I hand shell also, I find it therapeutic and relaxing.

I let them dry on the vine, harvest and put in a paper bag, waiting for a slack day. I use a box like what 12 oz cans come in, the 24 pack. It is about 2” tall and fairly large. You could cut a side off another box to make the same thing. Think of the top of a ream of paper box. Sit on the couch with a movie on and shell over the box. I can pick most of the larger pieces of shell out then just toss the shelled beans and chaff into another bag. I take them out later and wind blow the chaff from the dry beans.

To get the beans free I crack them along their length then pull the sides apart and the beans fall out or with a little finger action they work their way out. Once you get the feel for where to make the crack along the length it goes pretty fast. Most come apart in two full halves.

And yes, it seems like very little return for all that work but they do add up. I have never tried to shell them soft, like Dani mentions. I will have to give it a try after the rain stops, I have a row that is turning yellow now. I was always afraid I would damage the beans if they were not really dry.
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Only shell the brown Crowder while "soft". Once they get completely dried, the shell is a booger to get off. it just doesn't tear open easily.
 
This would be an excellent activity for younger aged children. Put these on the shelf as an activity to choose in a Montessori classroom and at the end of every day, they will all be shelled. That is also good for developing hand strength (pre-penmanship activity).
 
Angie said:
You shell them by hand? I've not grown up with black beans at home or anywhere else. I learn something new each day.

These are the beans that become fake meat or refried in Mexican type dishes, right?
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Yes.....fake meat!!! I experimented with a total vegan diet for 2 months one time, just to see if I could lose some weight. I got so sick of beans. bean burgers, bean fritters, baked beans, refried beans, and of course.....plain beans.
I'm over it now, and I like black beans in certain Mexican food dishes. This is the first time I've ever grown them. I grew up on a farm, and I just followed the soybean season on planting and harvesting. Actually, these beans were ready to harvest way earlier than soybeans. With the shelling contraption that Dani mentioned, I might just try it again.
 
captain belly said:
Yes.....fake meat!!! I experimented with a total vegan diet for 2 months one time, just to see if I could lose some weight. I got so sick of beans. bean burgers, bean fritters, baked beans, refried beans, and of course.....plain beans.
I'm over it now, and I like black beans in certain Mexican food dishes. This is the first time I've ever grown them. I grew up on a farm, and I just followed the soybean season on planting and harvesting. Actually, these beans were ready to harvest way earlier than soybeans. With the shelling contraption that Dani mentioned, I might just try it again.
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NON GMO, soy beans are actually good for you ,Asians who eat plenty of soy live long healthy lives of course they also ate lots of greens too and little meat other than fish. Now that most Asians have western diets they don't live as long as they use to.All beans are good for you.
 
captain belly said:
Yes.....fake meat!!! I experimented with a total vegan diet for 2 months one time, just to see if I could lose some weight. I got so sick of beans. bean burgers, bean fritters, baked beans, refried beans, and of course.....plain beans.
I'm over it now, and I like black beans in certain Mexican food dishes. This is the first time I've ever grown them. I grew up on a farm, and I just followed the soybean season on planting and harvesting. Actually, these beans were ready to harvest way earlier than soybeans. With the shelling contraption that Dani mentioned, I might just try it again.
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Sounds like a taste of what could happen in SHTF. I imagine it is not hard to get sick of eating beans. I have tried to collect varieties of beans, including lentils, along with recipes and seasonings for some variety. I do love a ham bone cooked with some northern beans.
 
That's one reason I rather appreciate green beans! You get to eat the shell. :)

I have thought of growing some other kinds of beans. I do grow some lima beans, we like them on occasion. We've also allowed green beans to mature and dry to the point where you can use those like you would dried beans such as navy beans, October beans, black beans, or pinto beans. They're quite tasty and versatile, and very easy to grow and shell.
 
I have more deer then bean plants.
I like humus with black beans.
 
PopPopT said:
That's one reason I rather appreciate green beans! You get to eat the shell. :)

I have thought of growing some other kinds of beans. I do grow some lima beans, we like them on occasion. We've also allowed green beans to mature and dry to the point where you can use those like you would dried beans such as navy beans, October beans, black beans, or pinto beans. They're quite tasty and versatile, and very easy to grow and shell.
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Yea and why even snap them, thats doing things the hard way. Who said we have to break up green beans anyway?:huh::lil guy:
 
I shell beans by hand because I saw my Mother do it.

Growing up we strung and snapped (broke) our green beans every year.
 
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