Dwarf snap bean Liverte

The 'Liverte' dwarf mange-tout bean is a highly productive variety whose flowering occurs outside the bush, making it easy to pick the pods. These pods are generally 18 to 22 cm (7 to 9in) long, very fleshy and round in section, and the string takes a long time to develop. Liverte can be enjoyed fresh, preserved in jars, and is also suitable for freezing. There are many ways to enjoy green beans, including Italian, Indian, and Lebanese recipes that are best enjoyed fresh. These recipes are perfect for summer harvests. This early variety is resistant to bean diseases and offers a fantastic yield, with harvests every 3 to 4 days from June to October.

Whether consumed for its pod or its seed, the bean is a highly appreciated vegetable in gardens because it is easy to grow. It is so punctual that the gardener knows when it will be ready for harvest 60 days after sowing.

Discovered in the New World and acclimatised in Europe from the 16th century onwards, the bean has become an essential legume in diets worldwide. Native Americans cultivated it for its dried seeds, but the Italians, who, in the 18th century, popularised the consumption of the whole immature pod.

The bean is a vine with indeterminate growth. The primitive varieties are all climbing plants 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 usually green, sometimes yellow (butter beans), striped with red, or even amethyst; among the varieties eaten when fine or extra fine, there are string beans with strings when fully ripe. Then, the pod becomes parchment-like and loses its taste.

The mange-tout bean is generally more fleshy and can be consumed entirely, both the seeds and the pods, even when fully ripe. The more recently created stringless mange-tout beans can be consumed when young and are extra fins or are more fleshy like a mange-tout because they do not form strings.

Among the shell beans (i.e., those whose seeds are consumed), a distinction is made between harvesting fresh beans and harvesting dry seeds, which occurs 90 days after sowing.

Immature green pods are rich in vitamins A, B9, and C, trace elements and minerals. Dry beans contain vitamin C, trace elements, and especially vegetable proteins.

Harvest: Fresh beans or young pods harvest begins 60 days after sowing. It should be done for fresh beans before the pods start dehydrating and developing wrinkles. The beans should barely take on their colour. You can harvest every 2 or 3 days for pod consumption. 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.

Storage: Freezing pods is the most common method of preservation today. To do this, remove the ends, wash the pods, blanch them for 5 to 6 minutes in boiling water, and then plunge them into cold water before drying them with a clean towel. Once packaged, the beans can be placed in the freezer at -18°C (-0.4°F). However, canning is gaining popularity among consumers due to the taste qualities associated with this preservation method. As with freezing, remove the ends, wash and blanch the beans, then place them in jars and fill them with boiling salted water. Close the jars and sterilise them in a pressure cooker or steriliser for 1 hour and 30 minutes over medium heat. Completely cover the jars with water after sealing them.

Dry beans: When completely dry, bean seeds can be stored for up to a year in good conditions, such as in airtight jars.

Gardener's tip: Beans, like all members of the Fabaceae family, can fix nitrogen from the air in the soil through a plant-bacteria symbiosis. They can regenerate the soil. Beans can be incorporated into crop rotation after burying green manure.

Traditionally, bean cultivation in Central and South America is associated with cultivating squash and maise, forming a triad with cheerful companionship. This association is locally called Milpa. Beans also pair well with eggplants, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, and radishes, as they protect each other. However, avoid planting them near alliums or fennel, as their growth inhibits each other.

A spray of nettle manure effectively combats aphid attacks and strengthens the plants that have benefited from it.