Hunan Winged Beans

[Josh]

Hey,

I wanted to show off a few examples of Hunan winged beans that I've recently harvested from my system.  These things are huge!  The ones in the photo are about 6-7inches long but I did pick some that were pushing the 10 inch mark.  They taste good in a stir fry but they were a bit tough and fibrous.  Evidently they taste better around the 4 inch mark.  The young shoots and flowers are also edible and have a really nice nutty sweetness to them.  I highly recommend this plant, especially in the summer months.  It's done really well for me here in the Florida Keys, although it does need a lot of room.

[Sylvia Bernstein]

Cool!  Thanks for sharing this, Joshua.  Do you eat the whole pod or just the beans?  Where did you buy the seeds?

[Josh]

Hi Sylvia,

The whole pod can be eaten much like any green bean, or it can be allowed to mature to the point that individual beans can be harvested it.  I've only tried the former, and I actually prefered it raw.  Tastes much like a run of the mill green bean to me, but a bit nuttier.  As i mentioned, the flowers and the shoots are edible too.  A real nice addition to a salad.

I got the the seeds last year from echonet.org.

[George]

thanks -  I'll try it

[TCLynx]

Cool, thanks always looking for good hot weather plants.

[George]

I've been unable to find seeds specifically identified as Hunan

Psophocarpus tetragonolobus

Winged Bean                                                                                       MS, RF, LL, T

A climbing vine which does best in hot, humid zones; The pods, beans, leaves, tubers, and flowers are all edible. Can also grow as an annual in temperate regions if day-neutral strains are chosen. Winged beans have vigorous vines that need trellis support. Winged bean is drought sensitive.

Bogor: Very vigorous; 20 cm (8 in) pods, high yields.

Chimbu: Tender, crimson red pods, purple seed, medium yields.

Flat:Easy to transport pods due to shape. Needs shorter days to produce seed.

Ribbon: Smaller wings, 23 cm (9 in) green pods. Needs shorter days to produce seed.

Siempre:Day length sensitive. Needs shorter days to produce seed. Pods are smaller then most of these varieties.

Square: Good tuber production.

Day-Neutral: Blooms during longer days, allowing out of season production.

Joshua Wells said:

I got the the seeds last year from echonet.org.

[Josh]

The variety I planted is actually the day-neutral ones.  I thought they all were considered to be "hunan" winged beans but maybe its just a name that I picked up on the web somewhere.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2007-06-01/Hunan-Winged-Be...

[Michael Welber]

Where did you get the seeds Joshua? 

[George]

Joshua, are they still producing well?

[Josh]

Michael, I got the seeds from echonet.org.

Unfortunately, I've recently pulled the plants due to an overwhelming spider mite infestation (i think).  

[George]

Spider Mites:  Dealing with them outside is not too bad - rinse them off with a hard spray of water every other day - they inhabit the underside of leaves so focus there.  Be persistent for a week or so and then keep an eye on it thereafter.  White, scaly, webby underside of leaves may indicate their presence - look closely - the mite is about the size of a pinhead.  They love hot, dry weather.  They have a short life cycle, hatch, mature, lay eggs, all in about three days.  They can get ahead of you quickly.  

[George]

The article doesn't exactly pin it down but the day-neutral may well be Hunan. 

Joshua Wells said:

The variety I planted is actually the day-neutral ones.  I thought they all were considered to be "hunan" winged beans but maybe its just a name that I picked up on the web somewhere.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2007-06-01/Hunan-Winged-Be...

[Converse]

  Joshua,

     Thanks for sharing about these beans...I am very intrigued!  I'm not sure they'd grow here in the PNW, but I am going to try them out next year in the greenhouse anyway.  I am following this conversation with great interest. They sound delicious, and I like the fact that the shoots and flowers are edible too.

      Hopefully you have not pulled out all those plants yet....you can get rid of spider mites either indoors or outdoors by applying freshly brewed worm casting tea all over the plants and soil (growing media).  Due to the chitinase, an enzyme, that naturally is in worm castings, it will attack the hard bodies of the spider mites (the bodies are composed of chitin). The spider mites will be gone. Worm castings and worm casting tea is safe to use on your plants and and safe for your AP system, including the fish.

-Converse