Another Deppe variety. 70 seeds direct sown in an unamended bed late-May. Young plants were severely afflicted and stunted by a plague of blackfly that traveled over from the broad beans - until the ladybird population subsequently exploded.
The harvest was spread over 4 dates - 17th Aug, 24th Aug, 3rd Sept, 18th Sept. The earliest plants were completely determinate and the latest were mostly of short vining habit.
We had a very dry spring and summer. Late August rains afforded the later-maturing plants a growth spurt & flush of new flowers, and appears to have more than doubled the size of the beans in contrast to the first harvest. 100 grain weight 14g vs 32g
Interestingly, the earliest crop was around 45% black beans, whereas the 3rd Sept crop yielded only brown and yellow beans.
Yesterday I prepared a (very) small pot of the yellow and brown beans to a simple standard recipe. Soaked overnight in soft water, and cooked for 1.5h with a carrot, shallots, garlic, bay leaves and a little pinch of celery salt.
Wow! Umami! The broth tasted good enough to spoon over a Sunday roast. These beans must be high in free glutamic acid? Eager to try more-complex recipes next year, and hoping for a much greater harvest. To be continued...
Yield
17th August - Yellow: 28.2g / Brown: 19.2g / Black: 40.6g / Total: 88g
24th August - Yellow: 27.3g / Brown: 24.6g / Black: 31.6g / Total: 83.5g
3rd Sept - Yellow: 53.5g / Brown: 75.9g / Total: 129.4g
18th Sept - currently unweighed
