Purple Hyacinth Beans
This year, among my many varieties of climbing beans I am growing 'Purple Hyacinth Beans'. In true Matron fashion, I 'liberated' some seeds last Autumn from a garden in Virginia. Actually this picture was taken there last Autumn. My plants this year are growing well amongst the other runner beans, they appear to have an attractive purple veined leaf, I think they will be a late variety. There are signs of the beautiful purple flower buds, which I will be sure to post on the blog when they arrive. The question I want answered is..... are they edible? I've looked up several blog sites, many people have eaten them without incident (after all they are beans), but the colour is alarming. Having said that, my Vitelotte potatoes were an alarming purple colour and they didn't kill me !!... Does anyone know if they are edible?
posted by Matron @ 7:02 PM
9 Comments:
fabulous colour! have you eaten any yet?
Do not eat the beans, they are poisonous! Here's some information from the NCSU website on the toxicity.
If they really are Lablab beans (AKA hyacinth beans) then they should be edible. They're in 'Oriental Vegetables' by Joy Larkcom and she says "immature pods, young green seeds, leaves and tubers are all edible" and they do come in purple.
Those are beautiful. I hope yours turn out like that soon!
I must be boring. I just grow green beans. You keep showing different varieties that make me want to venture out into growing different kinds of beens.
I had a thought about these beans. Perhaps when people talk of the 'beans' being poisonous, and needing long cooking and frequent changes of water - they mean the actual dried bean seeds in the pods. I know that red kidney beans are poisonous if not cooked properly. I normally eat beans in the immature pods.
I grow these as an ornamental on a ladder trellis along with morning glory ...inside my 4x4 cold frame It's a good way to make use of my cold frame during the summertime when I'm not using it for seedlings.
Good looking beans Matron. I have just started to harvest the Romano pole beans.
Hey, I hope you don't mind but I'm tagging you for a garden thingy....meme I think they're called. Please stop by my website to read the rules....thanks ;)
I love the Wisley veg garden....and it's only right that they name plants after their visitors......!! LOL
My tomatoes are not a patch on yours. I grew Idli last year and they were fabulous, but I didn't have any seeds this year and thought I'd better use all my other packets up.....! Next year I'll get some. Lidl had them last year....must be something about the name!
When I was a kid, a friend and I ate some of these raw off the vine...and we both threw up VIOLENTLY all night. They might be fine after cooking but I would make ABSOLUTELY SURE before I ever ate them again !!!
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