Down on the Allotment

Matron grows vegetables and fruit in a Hampshire garden. I've been growing veggies since I was knee high to a grasshopper. Some traditional varieties and old favourites as well as new ideas. I share my garden with my allotment assistant Daisy the Labrador. On Twitter as @MatronsVeggies

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Good Gadgets

 It's the time of year when Runner Beans come thick and fast. Just when you think you've picked all the beans you can see...
 then another bunch jumps out in front of you from nowhere!  Many years ago we had a brilliant metal bean slicer that was just the ticket to slice beans (and the occasional stray finger).. well I've found one just like it on Amazon.  This Metal Bean Slicer is the bees knees.
 Screw the slicer to a work surface by means of the G clamp at the bottom then insert beans into a hole in the top and turn the handle.
 Beans are sliced on the diagonal by a rotating blade.
 Simple and effective, an excellent gadget!
Does anyone else think it looks like the Starship Enterprise?? Beam me up Scotty!

posted by Matron @ 9:45 PM

10 Comments:

At 10:09 PM, Blogger Hazel said...

Does it string them as well, Matron?

 
At 4:59 AM, Blogger Cabbage Tree Farm said...

I've heard of it but never seen it in action, so thanks for sharing!

 
At 5:27 AM, Blogger Matron said...

Hazel - I really don't have a problem with strings.. ever. Perhaps the new varieties nowadays are very tender, or I always try to pick them quite young, or they are so fresh that they don't get hard.. anyway this cutter cuts on the diagonal so there is only ever less than 1cm of the side anyway.

 
At 7:05 AM, Blogger Mark Willis said...

Surely it's "BEAN me up, Scotty"...?

 
At 8:37 AM, Blogger CJ said...

It's brilliant, I love it! Wonder what else it would do...

 
At 11:17 AM, Blogger Captain Shagrat said...

How much was it matron if you don't mind me asking?

 
At 4:31 PM, Blogger Rachael said...

My granny used to have a gadget like that, I loved slicing the beans for her! The smell of runner beans still reminds me of her.

 
At 9:05 PM, Blogger Matron said...

Captain.. it was about £35.. there is a link to the Amazon page here

 
At 11:55 AM, Blogger Caro said...

My gran would have loved this labour saving device! I remember her sitting in the kitchen de-stringing the beans and then laboriously pushing them through a little square slicer. Do you use this to prep your beans for the freezer or do you freeze them whole?

 
At 9:21 PM, Blogger Matron said...

Caro - I don't really like them once they have been frozen, not quite the same. I make do with lots and lots of fresh beans in season, then look forward to them again next year.

 

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