Dwarf Bean with Netting Delicy

The Delicy Dwarf Filet Bean is best consumed when young, at the extra-fine stage. The pods, green and fleshy, measure about twenty centimetres long. As they do not develop strings, they can also be harvested later and consumed like snap peas. With a very subtle sweet taste, they lend themselves to all culinary variations. There are indeed many ways to enjoy green beans. One can think of Italian, Indian, or Lebanese preparations that are best enjoyed fresh, which is ideal during the summer harvest. Additionally, Delicy freezes very well.

Whether consumed for its pod or its seed, the bean is a highly appreciated vegetable in gardens because it is very easy to grow. It is so punctual that the gardener knows the exact date of its first harvest, which is 60 days after sowing.

Discovered in the New World and acclimated in Europe from the 16th century onwards, the bean has now become an essential legume in diets worldwide. Native Americans cultivated it for its dried seeds, but it was the Italians who, in the 18th century, initiated the consumption of the whole immature pod.
The bean is a vine with indeterminate growth. Primitive varieties are all climbing and require trellising. Later, for practical reasons, dwarf varieties were selected, but they all have tendrils that can wrap around a support.
The pods are generally green, sometimes yellow, streaked with red, or even amethyst. Among the varieties that are consumed at the fine or extra-fine stage, there are the string beans that develop strings when ripe. Afterwards, the pod becomes parchment-like and loses its taste quality.
The snap bean is generally fleshier and can be consumed entirely, both the seeds and the pods, even when mature. The more recently created filet beans can be consumed when young, at the extra-fine stage, or when more fleshy, like a snap bean, as they do not develop strings.

Among the shell beans (i.e., where only the seeds are consumed), a distinction is made between harvesting fresh beans and harvesting dry seeds, which is done 90 days after sowing.

The immature green pods are rich in vitamins A, B9, and C, as well as trace elements and minerals. Dry beans are also very rich in vitamin C, trace elements, and especially vegetable proteins.

Harvesting: Harvesting fresh beans or young pods begins 60 days after sowing. For fresh beans, it should be done before the pods start to dehydrate and develop wrinkles. The beans should barely start to take on their colour. For pod consumption, harvesting takes place every 2 or 3 days, both at the fine and extra-fine stage for filet beans. Harvesting dry beans involves cutting the entire plant, which is then hung in a dry and well-ventilated place. The beans can be shelled as needed.

Storage: Freezing the pods is currently the most common method of preservation. To do this, the pods should be trimmed, washed, blanched for 5 to 6 minutes in boiling water, and then plunged into cold water before drying them with a clean towel. Once packed in bags, the beans can be placed in the freezer at -18°C (-0.4°F). However, canning is regaining its popularity among an increasing number of consumers due to the taste qualities inherent in this preservation method. Like freezing, trim, wash, blanch, and then plunge the beans in cold water. Place them in jars and fill them with salted boiling water. Close the jars and sterilise them in a pressure cooker or with a steriliser for 1 hour and 30 minutes over medium heat, completely covering the jars with water after securing them well.

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

Gardener's tip: Beans, like all members of the Fabaceae family, have the ability to fix nitrogen from the air into the soil through a plant-bacteria symbiosis. They therefore have the ability to regenerate soils. Bean cultivation can be incorporated into crop rotation after burying green manure.
Traditionally, bean cultivation is associated in Central and South America with the cultivation of squash and corn, forming a beneficial triad. This association is locally known as Milpa. Beans also associate well with eggplants, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, and radishes as they protect each other. However, avoid planting them near alliums or fennel, as their growth is inhibited.

A spray of nettle extract allows for effective control of aphid attacks and also strengthens the plants.