Other hobbies

[Chris B]

The runner bean cycle:

Year 1 you grow a nice bean wigwam, and when it all dies back you find a good few you missed so you save them as seed for next year. Great! There are loads but you save them all anyway for a bit of insurance.

Year 2 you plant about 10 times more than you need in pots just because you have them. But now they've grown you can't just discard them. Your friends don't want them so you plant out most of them. That autumn you make chutney, curries, wine etc. etc.

Year 3 you can't face runner beans this year

Year 4 - back to year 1

I think the first question a psychiatrist should ask a new patient is about runner beans.

 

[tonybloke]

that's so true, Chris!!

 

[Chris B]

I'm glad it's not just me then. Phew!

 

[tonybloke]

LOL, we've just run out of 2009 runnerbean chutney!
will be back to growing too many next yr, as we didn't grow enough this yr

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The runner bean cycle:

Year 1 you grow a nice bean wigwam, and when it all dies back you find a good few you missed so you save them as seed for next year. Great! There are loads but you save them all anyway for a bit of insurance.

Year 2 you plant about 10 times more than you need in pots just because you have them. But now they've grown you can't just discard them. Your friends don't want them so you plant out most of them. That autumn you make chutney, curries, wine etc. etc.

Year 3 you can't face runner beans this year

Year 4 - back to year 1

I think the first question a psychiatrist should ask a new patient is about runner beans.

Plant about 200 seeds each year (give a few plants away to special friends) then plant two good double rows with plenty of well rotted cow manure) in the garden when frosts have passes.When they start cropping pick at leastonce daily to ensure vigorous regrowth.
Eat them, as a meal on their own at every opportunity while they are fresh, and a a vegetable side with every hot meal - give them away to the few poor souls who cannot (or cannot be bothered) to grow their own - freeze enough down so you have runner beans every Sunday dinner over the winter (and loads Christmas day to accompany your home grown peas, broad beans etc) and you usually run out by april so are champing at the bit to taste the new crop that summer
me, obsessed? noooooo

 

[Drew]

Badminton - League standard
Squash - occasionally
Tennis - a few times a year
Reading - any old dross TBH
Keep ducks and chooks...
Might be getting some pigeons
Cooking - but only casually
I play some computer games with my kids
I did start to learn Saxaphone..... but not played for a while
I love to "people watch" - which fits in well with attending various auctions (most weeks)...
I buy and sell "stuff" (see auctions) - very much a hobby not a living.

 

[busybee53]

Obviously keeping bees
Scale model period houses
Cross stitch
Card Making
Keeping fish
Keyboard playing
Stamps
Wooden jigsaws
allotment
swimming
Line dancing and a probably a load of other stuff

Rich - been on any digs?
Peteinwilts - any pics of your Marine reef set up? Details of fish?

 

[Chris B]

allotment

Come on admit it - runner beans?

There's a breakaway runner bean forum starting to take shape.

 

[Rich0909]

Obviously keeping bees
Scale model period houses
Cross stitch
Card Making
Keeping fish
Keyboard playing
Stamps
Wooden jigsaws
allotment
swimming
Line dancing and a probably a load of other stuff

Rich - been on any digs?
Peteinwilts - any pics of your Marine reef set up? Details of fish?

Yes I've dug at Vindolanda roman fort to the south of Hadrians Wall for a week at a time for the 5 years prior to last year, missed last year but making up for it with 2 weeks this year! In April so SWMBO will have to look after the bees...

Rich

 

[busybee53]

Dig sounds good. Will have to look it up on line.

Yep you got me. I confess to runner beans. Twice as many as expected this year due to the bees.

 

[denise washington]

hi would love it but house not big enough lol but why have you done that

 

[Swarm]

Hello, my name's Swarm .... and I grow Runner beans.

I also admit to a soft spot for Broad beans and peas.

JBM,
I share your love of a plate heaped with Runner beans, dripping with butter. It used to be a regular supper when I was a kid (complete with brown bread and butter) Another favourite is with bacon and new potatoes.
Not fond of white flowered varieties though .... I'm gonna stop now.

 

[oliver90owner]

I froze quite a lot of runner beans this year. Not too many bags, but big ones - enough left over, after a meal, for a runner bean sarny for breakfast.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Not fond of white flowered varieties though

I've been growing white lady the last few years, good cropper but they just seem to lack that bit of cinybens oomph. Looking for a new variety for the coming season.

 

[alanf]

I've been growing white lady the last few years, good cropper but they just seem to lack that bit of cinybens oomph. Looking for a new variety...

I got some white lady on a discount... Do I have to throw the away now?

 

[denise washington]

hi swarm cant beat a plate of runner beans with plenty of bread and butter glad someone else likes em they make a good healthy meal

 

[Chrisfnvs]

I grow an exhibition variety of runner bean called "stenner" an old Welsh variety which produces lots of long straight beans of great quality, they look good and more importantly they eat well, they have dominated the shows for some years now, not available from the main seed companies but a few exhibition seed suppliers do have them, i don`t bother with any other variety, as for Broad beans there is a local variety called "long fellow" you can draw your own conclusion on why it is so called , very good but not frost hardy

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I got some white lady on a discount... Do I have to throw the away now?

Not at all - good cropper even the older pods don't get all woody and stringy and the birds don't bother the white flowers. It's just (as you can gather) us Welshmen are a bit fussy with our runners.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

"long fellow" very good but not frost hardy

Bit like mine in that respect

 

[Hivemaker.]

us Welshmen are a bit fussy with our runners.

Will runners take the place of leeks as the emblem of wales.