Common bean Piramide

The Dwarf Climbing French Bean Piramide is a variety that is both hardy and vigorous. It produces long, very fine and tender green pods that are carried very high above the foliage, making them very easy to pick. Piramide is also resistant to diseases and heavy rain that would not cause it to topple.
And to demonstrate the taste value of this recent variety, we will explore the many ways to prepare green beans. We will think in particular of Italian, Indian or Lebanese preparations that are best enjoyed fresh. Ideal during the summer months, these recipes highlight the full flavor of this vegetable. Piramide is sown from April to July and can be harvested from July to October.

Discovered in the New World and acclimatized in Europe from the 16th century onwards, the bean has now become an essential legume in diets all over the world. The Native Americans cultivated it for its dried seeds, but it was the Italians who, in the 18th century, introduced the consumption of the whole pod by harvesting it immature.
The bean is a climbing vine. Primitive varieties are all pole beans and require support. Later, for practical reasons, dwarf varieties were selected, but all have tendrils that can wrap around a support.
The pods are generally green, sometimes yellow (butter beans), streaked with red or even amethyst. Among the varieties that are eaten at the thin or extra thin stage are the string beans that have filaments when ripe. Then the pod becomes parchment-like and loses its taste quality.
The french bean is generally more fleshy and can be consumed entirely, both seeds and pods, even when ripe. More recently created string - french beans can be consumed young as extra thin until they become more fleshy like a french bean, as they do not form strings.

Among the shell beans (i.e. those whose seeds are consumed), a distinction is made between harvesting fresh beans and harvesting dried seeds, which occurs 90 days after sowing.

Immature green pods are rich in vitamins A, B9 and C, trace elements and minerals. Dried beans are also rich in vitamin C, trace elements and especially vegetable proteins.

Harvesting: Harvesting of fresh beans or young pods begins 60 days after sowing. For fresh beans, it must be done before the pods start to dehydrate and become wrinkled. The beans should barely take on their color. For pod consumption, harvesting should take place every 2 or 3 days, both at the thin and extra thin stages for string beans. Harvesting of dried beans is done by cutting the entire plant, which is then hung in a dry and airy place. They can be shelled as needed.

Storage: Freezing pods is now the most common method of preservation. To do this, trim, wash, blanch for 5 to 6 minutes in boiling water, then plunge into cold water before drying with a clean cloth. Once placed in a bag, the beans can be stored in the freezer at -18°C (-0.4°F). However, canning is regaining its popularity among an increasing number of consumers due to the inherent taste qualities of this preservation method. Like freezing, trim, wash, blanch, then immerse the beans in cold water. Then place them in jars and fill them with salted boiling water. Close them and sterilize them in a pressure cooker or with a sterilizer for 1 hour and 30 minutes over medium heat. To do this, completely cover the jars with water after securing them well.

Dried beans: when completely dry, bean seeds can be stored for up to a year if stored under good conditions, such as in airtight jars.

A gardener's tip: beans, like all members of the Fabaceae family, have the ability to fix nitrogen from the air in the soil through a plant-bacteria symbiosis. They therefore have the ability to regenerate soils. Beans can be included in a crop rotation after burying green manure.
Traditionally, bean cultivation in Central and South America is associated with the cultivation of squash and maize, forming a triad whose companionship is beneficial. This association is locally called Milpa. Beans also associate well with eggplants, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, and radishes as they protect each other. Avoid the presence of alliums or fennel as their growth inhibits each other.

A spray of nettle manure allows for effective control of aphid attacks and also strengthens the plants that have benefited from it.