Dwarf Bean for shelling Swiss white Lingot

The White Swiss Lingot Bean is a variety that produces light green pods about fifteen cm long with large pearly white, cylindrical beans. Only the beans are eaten, fresh, semi-dry, or dry. This very hardy bean has a high yield and can be stored for a long time. Pick the pods as soon as they start to turn yellow to eat fresh or semi-dry. Wait until they are completely parchment-like and dry for harvesting dry beans. The White Swiss Lingot Bean can be enjoyed in salads, stews, or creamy purées for sandwiches.

Whether consumed for their pod or seed, beans are highly appreciated in gardens because they are very easy to grow. They are so reliable that the gardener knows down to the day when to harvest the first crop, 60 days after sowing.

Discovered in the New World and acclimatised in Europe since the 16th century, 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 first ate the whole, immature pod in the 18th century.
The bean is a vine with indeterminate growth. Early varieties are all climbing and require support. Later, for practical reasons, dwarf varieties were selected, but they all have tendrils that can wrap around a support.
The pods are generally green, sometimes yellow, striped with red, or even purple. Among the varieties that are eaten at the fine or extra fine stage, there are string beans that have threads when fully ripe. 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 string-snap beans can be consumed when young at the extra fine stage or when more fleshy like a snap bean because they do not form threads.

Among shelling beans (meaning only the seeds are consumed), there is a distinction between harvesting fresh beans and dry beans, which is 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 vegetable proteins.

Harvesting: Harvesting of fresh beans or young pods begins 60 days after sowing. For fresh beans, it should be done before the pods start to dry and wrinkle. The beans should barely take on their colour. For pod consumption, harvesting should take place every 2 or 3 days, both at the fine and extra fine stages for string beans. Harvesting dry beans is done by cutting the entire plant, which is then hung in a dry and well-ventilated place. The beans can be shelled as needed.

Storage: Freezing the pods is now 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 placed in bags, the beans can be stored in the freezer at -18°C (-0.4°F). However, canning is regaining its popularity among a growing number of consumers due to its better taste qualities. Like freezing, remove the stems, wash and blanch the beans, then immerse them in cold water. Put them in jars, fill them with salted boiling water and seal them. Sterilise them in a pressure cooker or with a steriliser for 1 hour and 30 minutes over medium heat. To do this, completely cover the jars with water after properly sealing them.

Dry beans: Completely dry beans can be stored for up to a year if stored in good conditions, such as in airtight jars.

Gardener's tip: Beans, like all members of the Legume family, can fix nitrogen from the air in the soil through a plant-bacteria symbiosis. They can regenerate soils. Beans can be planted as part of a crop rotation after green manure.
Traditionally, bean cultivation in Central and South America is associated with the cultivation of squash and maize, forming a triad with positive companionship. This association is called three sisters. Beans also associate well with aubergines, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, and radishes as they protect each other. Avoid growing with alliums or fennel, as their growth may be inhibited.

A spray of nettle manure allows for effective control of aphid attacks and also strengthens the plants.