Dwarf Bean for Shelling Splendido - Borlotto Bean

The Splendido Bean is a dwarf variety of Borlotto type bean that has retained the spectacular marbled purple colour of its pod and seeds. This bean is a feast for the eyes in the vegetable garden as well as on the plate, and children are not immune to its charms. Splendido is an excellent way to introduce them to the joys of beans. They can be consumed young, cooked or even raw, in their pods. When harvested more mature, they can be shelled and prepared like flageolet beans. This magnificent variety is part of the culinary heritage of Italians, who often enjoy it in soups. The purple marbling fades if cooked for too long, but it develops a creamy texture with a hint of hazelnut flavor. Dried, the seeds can be stored for a long time.
This bushy variety enhances small gardens, balconies, or patios with its flamboyant colors. It can be sown from March to July and continuously harvested from June to September. The more you pick, the more you harvest with this highly productive variety.

Whether consumed for its pod or its seeds, the bean is a highly appreciated vegetable in gardens because it is very easy to grow. It is so punctual that gardeners know the exact date when they will make their first harvest, which is 60 days after sowing.

Discovered in the New World and acclimatized in Europe from the 16th century onwards, the bean has now become an essential legume in diets all over the world. Native Americans cultivated it for its dried seeds, but it was the Italians who, in the 18th century, initiated the consumption of the entire immature pod.
The bean is a climbing vine. Primitive varieties are all pole beans and require support. Later, for practical reasons, dwarf varieties were selected, but they all have tendrils that can wrap around a support.
Pods are usually green, sometimes yellow (butter beans), streaked with red, or even amethyst. Among the varieties that are eaten at the thin or extra thin stage, there are filet beans that have strings when mature. Then the pod becomes parchment-like and loses its taste.
The snap bean is generally more fleshy and can be consumed entirely, both the seeds and the pods, even when fully ripe. The more recently created filet - mangetout beans can be eaten young at the extra thin stage or left to become more fleshy like a snap bean, as they do not develop strings.

Among the shell beans (beans whose seeds are consumed), we can distinguish between harvesting fresh beans and dry beans, which is done 90 days after sowing.

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 plant proteins.

Harvesting: Harvesting fresh beans or young pods starts 60 days after sowing. For fresh beans, it should be done before the pods start to dehydrate and develop wrinkles. The beans should barely have taken on their colour. For pod consumption, the harvest should take place every 2 or 3 days, both at the thin and extra thin stages 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.

Preservation: Freezing pods is currently the most common method of preservation. To do this, remove the stems, wash the pods, blanch them for 5 to 6 minutes in boiling water, then plunge them into cold water and dry them with a clean cloth. Once packaged, the beans can be placed in the freezer at -18°C (-0.4°F). However, canning is regaining popularity among an increasing number of consumers due to the inherent taste qualities of this preservation method. Like freezing, remove the stems, wash and blanch the beans, then plunge them into cold water. Put them in jars, filling them with boiling salted water. Close the jars and sterilize them in a pressure cooker or with a sterilizer for 1 hour and 30 minutes over medium heat. Completely cover the jars with water after securing them properly.

Dry beans: When completely dry, bean seeds can be stored for up to a year if kept in good 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 are therefore capable of regenerating the soil. Beans can be included in crop rotations after incorporating green manure.
Traditionally, bean cultivation in Central and South America is associated with the cultivation of squash and corn, forming a beneficial triad. This association is locally called Milpa. Beans also associate well with eggplants, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, and radishes, as they protect each other. Avoid planting them near alliums or fennel, as their growth inhibits each other.

A spray of nettle manure is effective not only in fighting aphid attacks but also in strengthening the plants that have benefited from it.