If you have left any green beans (such as runner beans or French beans) too long on the plant, they will be too tough to eat. However, they need not go to waste.
You can remove the beans from the pods and boil and eat them on their own. You can save a few to grow next year.
The tough pods can be boiled and the water use for soup stock. After boiling, strain the water and put the cooked pods on the compost heap
If the pods are dried up and turned brown, the beans will most probably be dried out too, but they are still edible. Use them like any dried beans, peas or lentils. Keep them in a jar to use throughout the winter by soaking them overnight and then boiling them.
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I usually let my overgrown ones go to seed, and I now have other ideas for them. Thank you for posting.
I used the last of mine this year by julienning them and using in stir-fry. They were too tough to use the regular way but cutting them so thin made them just right.
My mom would always plant an extra row or two of green beans to overgrow and dry before harvest just to get what she called "shellies". Boiled till tender, drained, then add some butter and a little salt and pepper to taste.
If you save the tough seeds to plant the next year, just keep in mind that any beans from the saved seeds might not be the same as the plants they came from. Cross pollination can make an entirely new bean type. That's how all our different varieties of veggies were started !!!!!!
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