I've just got back from a few weeks away to find my green beans have turned in to giants. I've never grown french beans before - so I dont know, is it O.K to still eat them? If you can eat them do you shell them and eat the beans inside?Are there any special cooking requirements (like Kidney beans). Sorry if this sounds really dumb I just dont want to risk poisioning the family. My cookings bad enough as it is!
Nick
If you can cleanly snap the bean in half then they are still OK to eat.
If it just bends or breaks with stringy bits attached then they are too old.
But, if they are too old you still have 2 options ... shell them and eat the immature beans as flageolet or leave them to totally dry and treat them as haricot beans.
See my last week's post for flageolet beans in the "What's in the Pot" section.
Tony
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.