The red podded yardlongs have a firm texture, and somewhat of a nutty flavor. They mature later than some of the green-podded types (especially those with black seeds), and seem to prefer more heat than many of the green-podded varieties. The yield is good, but slightly less than the black-seeded varieties below. I enjoy them in part because they keep their burgundy color when cooked. There is wide variation in green-podded varieties. The black-seeded ones I've tried are generally earlier, more tolerant of cool weather, bear heavily, and have tender (even delicate) pods. One of the black-seeded varieties (with dark green pods & purple tips) has the strongest flavor of those that I've tasted; it goes by several names, including Asparagus Bean and Liana. Green-podded / red-seeded varieties seem to benefit from longer seasons, be firmer & often sweeter as a rule, have very long pods, and yields ranging from medium to somewhat heavy. Pods can be anywhere from very light green to deep green. There are many more discussions of yardlong beans on both the Bean Forum, and the Asian Vegetable Forum.

Malna, thanks for that link. It will be very useful. Dave, you helped clear some things up. Thank you very much. NCHFP on their Baked Beans recipe is very unclear and I think it is an especially bad one for those new to canning to use. Recipe with parts truncated: âÂÂAn average of 5 pounds of beans is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 3ü pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints" an average of þ pounds per quart.â âÂÂPrepare molasses sauce as follows" Mix 4 cups water or cooking liquid from beans, 3 tablespoons dark molasses, 1 tablespoon vinegarâ¦..â âÂÂProcedure: Soak and boil beans as followsâ¦.â âÂÂPlace seven þ-inch pieces of pork, ham, or bacon in an earthenware crock, a large casserole, or a pan. Add beans and enough molasses sauce to cover beans.â Processing times there calls for pints 65 minutes & quarts 75 minutes. Nowhere does it state the weight or amount of the beans that the water, spices and seven pieces of meat are flavoring. 7 pieces of meat wouldnâÂÂt do much to flavor the 4 pounds of beans I processed. Both BBB and Bernadine calls for 2 lbs. beans, a similar list of procedures, sugars and spices and 1/2 lb. salt pork. Process times for those two are: Pints - 80 minutes and quarts 95 minutes. This is what I used with bacon instead of salt pork.

Oh. I thought different vegies needed different ratios of salt and water, for safety reasons. Is that all wrong? Different veggies may benefit flavor-wise from different brine levels but that is a matter of taste. As long as you use one of the recommended salt brine levels - see salt brine charts referenced above in Joy of Pickling (JOP) for example - then you can safely ferment any vegetable or mixture of vegetables. This, of course, assumes you use the proper fermenting techniques too - enough brine to cover the amount of vegetables, time, air temps, cover, skimming, etc. Dave PS: Randy - feel free to start a new thread. That way the OP won'r be getting all the emails if it turns into a long discussion. :) This post was edited by digdirt on Sat, Oct 26, 13 at 11:16

diclemeg, This year I am growing the "Orient Wonder" yard long. I totally love the taste. They have a 'nutty, bean' flavour. They are more chewy than pole beans. Most of the recipes state that they should not be boiled but stir fried. I have boiled them and they were OK but not great. I stir fry them in olive oil or canola oil and they taste great. Tender - no strings. I grew Chinese Red Noodle and Liana last year --- it was my first year and I picked them too soon. This year I picked them when they were almost the thickness of a pencil -- much better flavour and texture. They are prolific and mine are still producing. The "yard long" name is not accurate - in most cases. They should be picked when they are about 18-20 inches long. In my garden the ants love the vines but do not seem to do any harm to the vines. There are no aphids on my plants so I do not know what the ants are doing. The vines grew to over 10 feet this year. It is a fun plant to grow. DL