Suggestions for bush type French green bean

durham64 12/30/2012, 1:58 pm

I am totally new to growing green beans, so I know nothing about them, but love, love, love eating them. I am looking for something that is good for steaming and dressing with an olive oil type mixture.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

**camprn** 12/30/2012, 2:20 pm

Are you looking for a french style bean or one you can cut in a french style?

I am going to give up on my bush beans because they grow upwards of 2 feet and just don't give me as much bang for my SFG buck. I am planting more Rattlesnake beans and put them on a 6 foot trellis. They are good producers and easy to freeze.

Lindacol 12/30/2012, 3:48 pm

The bush bean I love is Dragon Tongue. It is not green when cooked but is so good.
It is a true bush bean - does not try to climb. I grew it in a tabletop in 8" of MM. I only grew 2 squares this year and will grow more next year.

durham64 12/30/2012, 4:06 pm

camprn,

I am looking for a French style bean. I used to get some at a local farmer's market when I lived in Nashville. I would just pick up a bunch and throw them in the steamer then dress them with garlic and butter or olive oil. I'm not sure what kind they were, but the vendor at the market said they were French green beans.

Thanks for your help. Where would I learn about Rattlesnake beans? I haven't heard of them, but coming from me, that doesn't mean a whole lot. lol!

durham64 12/30/2012, 4:09 pm

Lindacol,

Dragon Tongue sounds very interesting. What color are they and where would I find information on them?

I really appreciate your help!

Lindacol 12/30/2012, 4:19 pm

durham64 wrote:Lindacol,

Dragon Tongue sounds very interesting. What color are they and where would I find information on them?

I really appreciate your help!

They are light green with purple streaks but loose their color when cooked and are almost white (strange looking the first time you cook them) but taste like the best green beans you have ever had.

Several of the seed catalogs have them. Here is one (with lots of reviews)

http://rareseeds.com/dragon-tongue-bush-bean.html

durham64 12/30/2012, 4:24 pm

Lindacol,

Thanks so much, I will definitely go check them out!

**camprn** 12/30/2012, 4:47 pm

Here is another link for dragon tongue bean info.
http://myfolia.com/plants/35-bean-phaseolus-vulgaris/varieties/5856-dragons-tongue

quiltbea 12/30/2012, 4:48 pm

Durham, you could try the Filet beans. They are a bush bean that grows very slim and long, and are tasty raw right from the garden, pod and all. Sometimes called Verandon or something like that. They are a French Filet bean. You can lightly steam them if you like. They are becoming quite popular and costly in the markets. We've found them superb.

bnoles 12/30/2012, 5:19 pm

Burpee appears to carry one that looks promising

Bush French Green Bean

durham64 12/30/2012, 5:35 pm

bnoles, quiltbea and camprn,

Sorry, the forum will not let me use the "quote" feature yet. I haven't met my 7 day membership, nevertheless...

camprn, Thanks so much for the additional link. I will check that one out also.

quiltbea, I know I must sound utterly ridiculous, but is the Filet bean a variety of bean that can be obtained at most seed companies or is it something specific? I am so "bean knowledgeless", lol.

bnoles, Thanks for the info on Burpee. I haven't received their catalog yet, but I will jump on their website and see what I can find.

A great big thanks to everyone for your help! Keep it coming, because I am like a sponge, soaking up all the info I can get.

durham64 12/30/2012, 5:45 pm

I found a bush French green bean called "Bean Beananzza" on the Burpee Website. Anyone had any experience with this one?

**camprn** 12/30/2012, 6:06 pm

durham64 wrote:I found a bush French green bean called "Bean Beananzza" on the Burpee Website. Anyone had any experience with this one?

I was still a bit confused about the term 'French Bean' so I looked it up and it just means fresh green bean. Is this what you mean by French bean?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_bean

durham64 12/30/2012, 6:32 pm

camprn,

Honestly, I'm not sure what I mean when it comes to beans, lol...Anyway, the ones I had in my head, like the ones I used to buy in Nashville are long (7 to 8 inches), skinny (about as big around as a pencil eraser) and medium to dark green. They are the kind that you don't have to "string" (like I used to do at my great grandmother's house when I was a kid).

I would just get them at the farmer's market (by the handful), give them a good wash and throw them in the steamer. They were steamed whole, very tender and very delicious. I believe what I envision in my head, I've heard referred to as "haricot vert" in recipe books and the like.

Hope this helps explain it a little better. I'm just looking for a good variety of this type of bean if I can figure out what it actually is, lol. Thanks so much for your help.

bnoles 12/30/2012, 7:54 pm

Holley,

Did you click on the link in my post above? It has exactly what you are looking for at Burpee.

durham64 12/30/2012, 9:54 pm

bnoles,

I did and found one called "Bean Beananzza" that I think is exactly what I want. I asked in an earlier post if anyone had tried these before, but nothing so far. Thanks so much for pointing me in the right direction. I appreciate it greatly!

quiltbea 12/30/2012, 10:38 pm

Durham....Haricots verts ARE filet beans and they are becoming more popular so you can find them in some seed catalogs. They have them at johnnyseeds.com this year.

durham64 12/30/2012, 11:05 pm

quiltbea,

I have been researching all this, since I asked the question, with everyone's input and suggestions. I now understand that Haricot Vert and Filet beans are the same thing. It was just a matter of verbiage, terminology and a lack of knowledge on my part.

I do greatly appreciate everyone's suggestions and input. Thanks for pointing me to johnnyseeds.com. I just received their catalog, also, so I will take a look there as well.

Thanks again!

GloriaG 12/31/2012, 11:26 am

durham64,

Here's a link to Territorial Seeds list of French Filet beans.

http://www.territorialseed.com/category/182 The one called "Denver" is a nice Haricot Vert bean.

durham64 12/31/2012, 5:00 pm

Thanks GoriaG, those look just about perfect! I will definitely give those a try!

Sponsored content

Suggestions for bush type French green bean

Suggestions for bush type French green bean

Re: Suggestions for bush type French green bean

Re: Suggestions for bush type French green bean

Re: Suggestions for bush type French green bean

Re: Suggestions for bush type French green bean

Re: Suggestions for bush type French green bean

Re: Suggestions for bush type French green bean

Re: Suggestions for bush type French green bean

Re: Suggestions for bush type French green bean

Re: Suggestions for bush type French green bean

Re: Suggestions for bush type French green bean

Re: Suggestions for bush type French green bean

Re: Suggestions for bush type French green bean

Re: Suggestions for bush type French green bean

Re: Suggestions for bush type French green bean

Re: Suggestions for bush type French green bean

Re: Suggestions for bush type French green bean

Re: Suggestions for bush type French green bean

Re: Suggestions for bush French green beans

Re: Suggestions for bush type French green bean

Re: Suggestions for bush type French green bean


	Hello Guest! Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum. There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.