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Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Red Noodle Beans and An Idea that Failed

 

Last year my dad grew these beautiful Chinese red noodle beans (Baker Creek Seeds).  They were really beautiful to look at, and when cooked from fresh they were quite good – definitely good enough to grow again.  The down side was that they did not can or freeze well.  Perhaps we didn’t know the right trick, but they became very soft and mushy when we tried to process them for longer term storage.  Of course, canning beans required pressure cooking, which was more than these could stand up to.  The take away for us was that they are good for producing a large amount of summer food, but not so great for long term storage.

The flowers on them were pretty and looked like a typical bean blossom, only these grew on vines so they were more reminiscent of sweet peas.

I had cooked them before, I think, and knew that the gorgeous red would fade some when they were cooked, but one day I got the idea that since they were “noodle beans”, maybe I should just cook them whole like noodles.  Bad idea.  This is what they looked like on the plate:

Yeah.  Any gardener will know what those look like – earth worms.  Yuck!  :-)

Another reminder that presentation IS an important part of good food. :-)

9 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness! That made me laugh out loud! I'm thinking that would be a big hit with little boys! However, I do believe I would stick to the eating them raw. :)

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    1. I'm glad you got a laugh from that! :-D I'm sure a lot of boys would get a lot of fun with "worm" beans. ;-)

      I did correct the article to make it clear that we ate the cooked from fresh. Didn't mean to lead anyone astray. We didn't eat them raw. They had a texture raw that wasn't really great. Cut up and cooked from fresh they were fine, but from frozen or canned they were mushy. Weird. My dad told me they aren't growing well this year, so I guess we may not have any.

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  2. I chuckled as well, yes my little grandsons would love the idea of worms on the plate.

    Diana

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    1. As raw they look very well, but my grandchildren would also love to see them as worms, haha.
      Nice post.

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    2. Thanks. They would be fun for some kids, I'm sure. :-)

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  3. I have to agree! They do look like earth worms! Glad to hear I am not the only one with flops! ;)

    Thank you for sharing this week on the Art of Home-Making Mondays! :)

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    1. Yes, I definitetly have my share of flops! :-)

      You're welcome and I'm glad you liked it. Have a blessed weekend.

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  4. Oh Mary, I giggled when I saw the "worms." :) My sister abhors worms...she can't even handle the name of them so I am guessing she wouldn't enjoy seeing these on her plate *smiles* Thanks for sharing with Roses of Inspiration. Happy weekend!

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    1. Hehe. I'm glad it gave you a giggle. :-) I don't like worms very well myself, but I know they're very good for my garden! I don't want them on my plate though, even in appearance, but I did manage to eat them. LOL

      Happy weekend to you too, friend. The Lord's comfort and peace be with you.

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