As there seem to be so many preservers about at the moment on here, could anyone advise me on the best way to do runner beans please? I will have masses (and will be able to pick them once I get help to get the cane structure upright again after the winds!) and I can freeze them or dry them, either in 1" diagonals or cut vertically with the new toy (car boot). Who has had success, and how?

Salting is the traditional way of preserving runner beans, i've never done it as im the only one that eats them in our household so a bag in the freezer is enough, but have salted other things like bacon its probably the easiest way of preserving.

Not round my way. In part as if the power goes, the young head like lemmings for their little "power banks" to maintain mobile comms (I have bought a second hand cranked radio for them to bicker over, which has phone charging capability) whereas my husband & I pick up projects we were going to get around to & then sort lighting to taste. Knitting, reading & embroidery usually mean a full five branch candlestick in play but centrally positioned so we can all read by it if we choose (and we lower & light the 8 candle chandelier if we have visitors who seem flummoxed by low light levels) but baths are rushlight jobs as that speeds things along & makes sharing a bathtub less open to bickering about people's dirty water. (Guests get a candle stub & privacy.)

I'm one of those swingeingly privileged few who has access to real raw beeswax though, as a godfather volunteers at a local park with hives & is getting a lot better at the beekeeping lark. Result, we are getting kilos of comb (with the honey centrifuged out) & also odd bits with dead bees in - all still usable but the filtering results are pretty odd. Think Giger jam... Plus research historian husband who is dashed competent with a candle mould.

My blackberries are small & green at present, but if this wet forecast delivers, I forsee thick black tasty goodness and severely purple fingers. As for jars, if I absolutely must, I'll buy supermarket ultra cheap stuff for the jars & lids at 20 pence a time & donate the gloop. Not before I've tried my scouts though. A recycling challenge is always good for glass jars of all sorts & then a bit of scrubbing & sterilising & measuring for wax discs, cellophane & may even the pinking shears for the gingham tops and lo - gifts & (some) jars that reappear in the Christmas Hamper.

A little west of Yelverton, Jojo. And no, sadly I lost that somewhere between an unhappy 4 years at boarding school (scholarship girl) and 3 years in Scotland, where some words/pronunciation are the same or similar (rolled Rs, short As, "aye/arr") but mostly very different!

The feral blackberries here have shrivelled & died on the vine, in the places I've looked so far. The thornless one at the end of the garden is doing OK, as it's been watered, but usually they turn to a soggy mouldy mess as soon as it rains; luckily they're not ripe yet so we may still get some after the weekend. There are masses of grapes on the vine, and the cherry plums are ripening & are nice & sweet this year. Our enormous kiwi vine has excelled itself and produced more than ten fruits, some of which are slightly bigger than marbles! Wonders will never cease...

I am trying to avoid salt, although I have done some fermented cucumbers recently. I suspect I will have to rinse them before I eat them though as I don't like salt except on chips! There is also some proof that eating salted veg. regularly can cause nasal cancers so maybe best avoided if like me you have had sinus issues.

Decided to go blackberrying down by our local canal.
Saw some lovely ripe looking ones 5 minutes from our house but thought, no I'll walk another 1/2 hour in the heat and get some where there's less traffic, to find there were none ripened and ended up picking half a tub full on the way back where I saw them in the first place!
Very hot and sweaty now and off to prep them for the freezer!

I salted beans, once, years ago.

Even after rinsing and soaking, all I could taste was salt so I didn't bother again.

I've tried, salting beans, freezing beans and drying beans in the dehydrator and liked NONE of them, the best way for runners is to eat them fresh BUT if the pods get old and the beans inside them harden off don't pick them off, leave then to dry on the vines then pod them out and let them dry to hardness on a tray in a warm part of the house and you've got home grown pulses that will make casseroles, soups, chilli and bean hummus in the winter. Just soak them as you would any pulse and simmer until cooked, very useful!

If you really feel the need to make something with them then a runner bean pickle is perfectly OK, just not brilliant!

I always soak anything that been in brine for a few hours to remove the salt because of taste, never heard of the Cancer thing but I suppose everything turns out to be carcinogenic in quantity, and I like to keep my diet pretty much unprocessed and balanced so don't tend to worry. im dying a little everyday anyway

My grandmother used to salt runner beans. The only good thing I can say about them was that they were a change from the sprouts or leeks that she served up every other day in the winter!

I find runner beans freeze quite well but you do need to open freeze on trays, otherwise you will find that they all glom together.

Yesterday I was picking blackberries and a young chap with two children asked me what they were, were they some form of fruit. I was a bit surprised but explained and told him you can buy them at the supermarket, but I am not paying for something that is available for free.

Hope the young man and his children went back later with a container!

I remember my auntie's being very stringy and salty

I've been eating roadside blackberries for years, and it's not done me any harm.

Himself is from ever so slightly north west of Yelverton. Ever so slightly .


Was going to pick and freeze more blackberries in the morning before we leave of part 1 of the jollies, but we've finally got some weather. Hope that I won't lose too many by Sunday.

My temporary ban has finished and I have enjoyed the time away, it has broken my mse addiction and I have a new small tight group of online friends. My being has changed from stressed to very happy, content and fulfilled


The personal update: the old house turned out to be horrendous when it came to the survey, it needed major work top to bottom, many things had been hidden, so I withdrew my offer. The very next day I started searching online for a new house, much better for me at my stage in life. A couple of days ago after a couple of false starts, found my perfect new home. Small family builders and the best build I have ever seen. Tiny garden but 100% private and bright and sunny. I have reserved it and will be moving late September


Those old house worries evaporated once I withdrew and realisation set in, I will be giving up my allotment but I will be doing more cycling and exploring the many new opportunities offered in this new arty crafty place. There are not hoards of houses where I will be, just a few and they are separated. 5 minutes walk from the shops, buses, doctors and plenty of lanes for cycling. The house is smaller than here, better for me tbh so I have masses more that needs to go, I start clearing again today


I will feel cocooned and cosy, it has that clearview solution 400, underfloor heating and a very high spec of finish and appliances. The best insulation possible, even better than here. A garage with a cavity wall so it will be dry and safe for storage and food, if vermin-proofed


Today I will do the scale drawings again, try to visualise where I will put stuff, so I can see what has to go. I go from 4 rooms downstairs to 2, I lose 200 sq feet. The house was cheaper, 40k cheaper than the old house and I won`t have to spend any extra. Still 4 bedrooms and one will make that perfect sewing room again but with added spinning and knitting crafts

One last thought about genes and genetics. I have 50% Polish, eastern European genes and 50% dutch and was born in the uk. My family genetic line comes straight down from 1350 and all the way it is farming, horticultural and baking. That is where I got my skills. These are my indie genes, you can combine those 2 words and create another spelling to a misused word. I live amongst people in my rural county, who have a similar line of uk genetics, running through generations, farming and baking mainly. We all knew how to live in peace and harmony with the land and its wildlife. I will say no more now, my stay with mse is over

Hi,can I ask how long you have had your kiwi before it started to fruit,we have had ours for 4 years and we are still waiting for fruit.thanks

You can freeze them. If you have loads then it might be a good idea to blanch them before freezing. You can also pickle them. I add them ,cut up small, to picalilli.

I lurk on here, I'm not sure I've ever posted, but just want to say thank you to Kittie for all her helpful posts and I'm sorry you are leaving.

I want to thank kittie too especially for the widow's thread which was such a support. Hope she has a lovely time in the new house and that everything goes through quickly for her.