Hi Winter Rose,
I haven't grown them but have seeds to do so next season. Eden Seeds carry two black beans but if you can buy them for cooking online that would be a good way to go. You get to try them and keep some seed for growing if you like them.
Hope this helps.

Thanks very much Raymondo. It does help alot. I have bookmarked the Eden site, it looks nice, will have a look at the detail later today. I got the cooking ones from Kwikshop, they actually deliver to me so I will have them soon.

It is interesting that we will be both growing them next season, I will keep some to plant. Do they climb?

I like their ornamental maize, which I have wanted again, thanks.

The two black dry beans listed by Eden Seeds, Black Turtle and Canadian Black are both listed as bush beans so support probably wouldn't be necessary. Of course, the term bush bean is relative and some really are semi-bush needing some sort of climbing frame, albeit small.
What variety are the ones you're having delivered? It would be worth keeping some to grow, even if it's just as an experiment.

I thought they must be smaller beans which I thought was unusual. I am assuming I am getting the Black Turtle, thanks for telling me the other name Eden has. From what I can gather they needs heaps of water?

Hi Guys
I have grown both the black beans mentioned above and have found that for cooler areas (at least in mine) the Canadian Black outperformed the Black Turtle.
Also I found that with both vars I got larger seed grown than I had to sow....I have found this also with both Soy Beans and Azuki Beans (I get back larger seeds)...maybe the commercial growing is done on poorer soils...maybe the further south you go the longer the season and the seeds develope more
These two black beans have very brittle pods when fully ripe so my advice is to pick when they are still not totally dried on the bush...the pods dry very quickly when picked
These are not semi vining at all just plain bush type and in my experience not prone to lodging as some bush types can be
cheers
Peter

Thanks Peter, that was very interesting. I am trying to think about how my climate compares to yours. Although I am in the NE, I live in the mountains, with cooler nights during the summer. I am interested in Azuki beans as well since they were so highly regarded on the TV show "You Are What You Eat". I think we are talking about the same beans.

Hi Rose
We almost never get a warm night in summer and sometimes get VERY cool nights and often cool days as well...I know your area well...having lived at Corowa for many years and family in the Beechworth area too
Our Ag Dept. here has sent me 4 vars of Azuki beans to trial...at least 2 vars from Hokkaido (the large northern Island of Japan)...much colder and shorter than here...so I would expect them to do well in your area...Maki at Canberra (I think grows them as well)...she occasionally posts here too...The Ag. dept. here has found that the cooler weather here in Tas seems to give more size and deeper colour to the beans (a desirable trait)
The Japanese often use them a lot in dessert dishes with a little sugar...very nice too...they also cook them with rice in the same pot because they cook in almost the same amount of time
cheers
Peter

Thank you again for the information, it is very interesting. I will consider the details a bit more later. I live in the Upper Murray, and am trying to work out the differences between here and Corowa for example. Beechworth is cold in winter, but that doesn't affect bean growing. I have been to Tasmania. I love the High Country areas mainly because of the parrots. We visited Canberra not long ago, it is like an extension of here, although it seems dry nearby.

I did a quick check in a search and aduki and azuki seem to be the same bean. How handy cooking the rice and beans together.

Hi Rose
Azuki is the way the Japanese pronounce and spell it...it is a Japanese origin bean so I guess they would be close to knowing....you often see it in wholefood shops as Adzuki...covering all bases eh
cheers
Peter

Peter,

I ordered azuki beans from Eden last year and planted them as I would regular beans because they didn't have any cultivation instructions, they didn't do very well, so I'm was wondering if you have any cultivation tips?

cheers, mudlark

I was excited to receive the beans today, I nice 1kg pack. I don't have mince at the moment, does anyone here cook with them? How about black bean burgers, I have a couple of recipes.

Mudlark
I have never had any problems in growing them so can't help much...last year was dry and they do like moist soil for optimum production

Winterrose
I would love a copy of those recipes please
cheers
Peter

Black Bean and Mushroom Burgers

1 tab olive or canola oil
1 onion, finely chopped
250g mushrooms, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspn ground cumin
1 1/2 imperial/American cups or tea cups? cooked black beans or 15oz can drained
1/4 cup packed fresh coriander leaves
4 slices bread, made into fresh breadcrumbs
salt and black pepper
6 bread rolls

Fry onion, then mushrooms, garlic, and cumin. Process mixture with beans, coriander until well combined but still chunky. Mix with breadcrumbs, season. Form into 6 burgers with wet hands. Grill. Serve with buns and salsa.

Spicy Black Bean Burgers with Cranberry Ginger Relish

2 15oz cans refer above black beans drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chopped onion, American cups again sorry
1/2 cups finely chopped parsley
4 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced, subtitution welcome
1/3 cup plus 6 tab flour, divided?
1 1/2 tes ground coriander
1 1/2 tep. ground cumin
1/4 to 1/2 teasp cayenne pepper
1 egg white, beaten?
cooking spray
6 bread rolls
cranberry ginger relish recipe to follow

Combine then mix in breadcrumbs, refrigerate 1-2 hours. Form into six patties, lightly coating with flour. Cook.

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, I bought some at AUR frozen
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
2 tab finely chopped onion
1 tab finely chopped ginger root
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tabs water
2 tsp dijon or French mustard

Simmer for about 10 mins. Serve warm or cold. Makes 1 cup.

I think this recipe has been converted once already?

Chili con frijoles negra

1 tab olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped coarsely
1 1/2 teaspns ground cumin
1 red thai chilli, chopped finely
1 small red capsicum, chopped coarsely
420g can equivalent in cooked black beans see above
1 1/4 cups water
2 tabs tomato paste
310g can corn kernels, rinsed, drained
1 medium tomato, chopped coarsely
2 teas lime juice
1/4 cup loosely packed, finely chopped fresh coriander

Fry onion, cumin and chilli, add capsicum, beans, water, perhaps more water, and paste, simmer 5 minutes or thickens slightly. Add corn, tomato, juice and coriander, heat. Serves 4. Can be served with corn chips.

This relish

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, I bought some at AUR frozen
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
2 tab finely chopped onion
1 tab finely chopped ginger root
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tabs water
2 tsp dijon or French mustard

Simmer for about 10 mins. Serve warm or cold. Makes 1 cup.

is just the best thing. We had it tonight on black bean burgers. We had the burgers in between two pieces of white bread like rissoles at a BBQ with the relish instead of tomato sauce. Would make a great alternative to rissoles. I used under a tablespoon of bottled ginger, and used malt vinegar which is all we had.

The burgers themselves:

2 15oz cans refer above black beans drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chopped onion,
1/2 cups finely chopped parsley
4 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced, subtitution welcome
1/3 cup plus 6 tab flour, divided?
1 1/2 tes ground coriander
1 1/2 tep. ground cumin
1/4 to 1/2 teasp cayenne pepper
1 egg white, beaten?
cooking spray

We used oil instead of the spray and boiled dry beans for 1/2 hour and weighed the cooked beans in ozs. We used this quantity and 1 1/2 times the rest. No jalpenos and the smaller amount of cayenne. We put the flour in last after the processing, then added a small amount of sweet chilli sauce to blend, could perhaps have used water from beans instead. Turned out a nice consistency.

Must get round to saving those recipes Winter Rose. They sound yummy. I have another black seeded bean called Irago, originally from France. I intend multiplying them up this coming season as I only have a few seeds. I'll be sharing them around once I have enough.

Black and Gold Vegetable Soup

1kg pumpkin, peeled
2 tabs olive oil
2 leeks chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 cup pearl barley
2/3 cup burghul
7 cups water plus 5 chicken stock cubes
6 leaves silverbeet, shredded finely
1 cup peas
1 cup cooked black turtle beans
Parmesan cheese.

Cut pumpkin into 2cm pieces. Cook. Mash two thirds of the pumpkin reserve remaining pieces. Heat oil and cook leek and garlic, add barley, combine. Stir in stock simmer 40 minutes until barley is cooked. Add silverbeet, stir until wilted. Add mashed pumpkin, other pumpkin, peas and cheese, stir until heated through. Not sure when the burghul was added. Serves 6.

Here is a recipe we adapted and is good for left over pumpkin, peas and black turtle beans.

Winter Rose, thanks so much for all these recipes. They sound simply delicious. Will save them all and try them soon.

Makes me want to grow black beans now. Or at least go and get them from the market. :)

Texan-styled Black Bean Soup

450g dried black beans
1/4 cup olive oil
5 rashers short cut bacon, chopped
100g packet ham
4 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 stalks celery including leaves, chopped
1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
1 teaspn. cayenne pepper
2 teaspns. ground cumin
3 1/2 litres chicken stock
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup dry sherry

Wash black beans, cover with water and allow to soak overnight, rinse, drain, set aside.

Pour oil into a very large soup pot. Add the bacon, ham, onion, garlic and celery. Fry until soft. Add beans, rice, seasonings, and stock to pot. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 2 1/2 hours to 3 hours.

Let soup cool; put through blender a little at a time, until smooth. Return to soup pot reheat adding wine and sherry. Serve hot with sour cream and coriander and cornbread. May post cornbread recipe later.

Corn Bread

1 cup plain flour
1 cup fine cornmeal
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk

Version 1

1 teas salt
2 tabs baking powder
2 teas mexican chilli powder
310g can cream-style corn
1 cup grated tasty cheese

Sift flour, baking powder and chilli powder into a bowl. Mix in cornmeal. Mix eggs, corn and milk together. Pour into dry ingredients and mix quickly until just combined. Pour mixture into a 24x13cm loaf tin lined on the base with baking paper. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake at 180oC for 45 to 60 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out cclean. Cool in tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Version 2

Add to basic ingredients above:

4 teas baking powder
1/2 teas salt
1/2 teas garlic powder
1/2 cup grated cheedar cheese
1/2 cup canned jalapenos, drained, chopped (optional)
can chopped pimentos (around 60g) or capsicum?
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
left over bacon from soup, crisped and crumbled
1 tab bacon dripping

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Stir in cheese, jalapenos, pimentos, onion and bacon. In another bowl, beat together the water, oil and eggs. Stir in dry ingredients until just moistened. Melt bacon dripping in a pan. Pour batter into hot pan and bake for 30-35 minutes at 375oF.

This is the one I came up with in the end that looked great in the pan before baking.

Corn Bread

1 cup plain flour
1 cup polenta
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teas salt
2 tabs baking powder
1/2 teas minced chili (jar)
310 can cream-style corn
1 cup grated tasty cheese
4 short cut bacon rashers
1 strip marinated red capsicum from jar finely chopped (goes great in cous cous)

Sift flour, baking powder into a bowl. Mix in cornmeal. Mix eggs, corn and milk together. Add finely chopped fried bacon, red capsicum strip and chili. Pour into dry ingredients and mix quickly until just combined. Pour mixture into a 24x13cm loaf tin greased with bacon drippings. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake at 180oC for 45 - 60 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool in tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

That turned out very nice, and soft. Tried it with the soup and they are nice. The soup like barley soup.

I've never had corn bread before, so may give this a go. Thanks, Winter Rose. :)

corn bread is delicous, especially with soup. I have Red Adzuki beans, and turtle beans. They are the same size, but very different colours. Are there more than one type of adzuki?.

My soup was different after processing, like a mushroom and marsala soup I think from memory. I recommend serving with sour cream, it made all the difference.

Is your cornbread similar to mine?

My Cornbread is very like your version one, except I use cornmeal 2 to 1 with the flour.
Cornbread went through a popularity thing here in Sydney a few years ago. A lot of it was like eating rusks with sand on them. But there were some nice ones.
It also seems to mop things up better than rice or flour bread.

Hi Adam
I have 6 different Azuki Beans to try this year
I have grown one of them for 4 years now
The others were given to me by the Ag dept down here to trial
The Japanese call them Azuki but I have seen them locally called Aduki and also Adzuki
The Japanese prefer the larger and redder beans
They use them a lot in delicious desserts
cheers
Peter

Yeah, Thanx Derb. I call the red ones adzuki, and the black ones turtle beans, it's a bit like aubergine and eggplant I think.

The desserts sound interesting.

Hi Guys
Adam...the azuki bean is...Phaseolus angularis (comes from Asia...Japan) and the Black bean (Black Turtle, etc) is a Phaseolus vulgaris as its name suggests, common bean, such as any of the French Climbing type (even though a bush type) and originates from Central and Sth America...they look identical except for colour...as does the Mung Bean (Phaseolus aureus) which is green and originates also from Asia probably China
Just clear up any confusion
cheers
Peter

I found a dessert in a book I already have called "The Bean Book" by Murdoch Books. Just a little book you probably get at the supermarket or K-mart or similar.

It has alot of information about both beans and also international cooking terms for finding and using recipes from the net, also photo of aduki beans which was great because I hadn't seen them. The recipes of interest were Adzuki bean and date icecream, poached egg with asparagus and black beans, black and white bean salad etc. What a great find.

I've noticed that when I buy black beans in a can, they are lways red, whereas when I go to a Carribean or Yucatan restaurant, they rae always black. I have yet to get true BLACK beans at home. Are there actually two types?

Had the best tasting black bean dish ever at a bus stop in Guatemala , think it was near lake Panahachel , near Chichicastenengo .. there was nothing but little tarps propped up over trestle tables .

Javry where do you buy your canned beans? My son got me some somewhere in Canberra. Will have to ask him where.