Ravishing Runner Beans
Fresh, young runner beans are a gem amongst the many wonderful vegetables available during the British summer. Runner beans have been growing in South America for over 2,000 years, and are a popular garden vegetable in Britain too. Stronger in flavour and coarser in texture than green beans, they are also much longer and have attractive purple beans inside the pods.
Grow runner beans
Runner beans like almost the same conditions as green beans, although they like to climb, so providing a wigwam or bamboo canes around 8ft in length is a good way to provide a climbing frame for them as they grow. When you’re short of space, this is a good idea. A rich, light, well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter is ideal. Again, keep them well-watered.
Nutrition
Runner beans are a good source of vitamin C, folic acid and fibre.
Origins
They were brought to the British Isles in the seventeenth century by John Tradescant (gardener to King Charles I) and were grown as a decorative plant before being used as a food in Britain. Today they are a very popular food in the UK, Italy and Mexico, and are grown and eaten in each of the five continents.
