Meet the bean that keeps giving for seven years

The Madagascan bean is known as the ‘seven year bean’ because each vine can last for that length of time.

Hinterland Homesteading with Racheal Pascoe

Have you heard of the really wonderful Madagascan bean? It is easy to grow in our climate in south east Queensland and so simple to harvest and store for later. It is a real winner in my books. 

It is known as the ‘seven year bean’ because each vine can last for that length of time. It is a perennial vine that grows vigorously and can reach 4 meters in length. It is a good idea to grow it along a fence or on a trellis. It will die back slightly in the winter and then reshoot in the springtime. 

 Growing and harvesting the beans 

The vine itself is very low maintenance. It will ramble around, you might need to occasionally tuck it through parts of the trellis but mostly it takes care of itself. The seed pods are bright green when they are immature and then mature off to be brown and crispy. It is at this point you can begin to harvest the seeds. Make sure you can hear the seeds rattling in the seed pods before you harvest them. This way the seeds will be mature. The seeds themselves are white and beautifully speckled with burgundy splotches. Mother nature is really amazing, because it seems no two bean seeds are ever patterned the same. 

Drying your bean seeds 

Having jars of dried bean seeds in your kitchen is a wonderful way to have stores of homegrown protein ready to use. It is so simple to air dry seeds. Lay your seeds on towelling in a cool, dry place for up to a week. This will of course depend on the weather. If it is rainy weather, they will take longer to dry out. Your seeds are properly dry and ready to harvest when you can’t press your fingernail into the seed at all.  If you can make a dent with your fingernail, the seed still contains moisture and will go mouldy. 

Once they are fully dry, the beans can be stored in a cool, dry, dark place for years. 

How to use 

You can cook and eat the young seed pods, but they seem a bit stringy and starchy to me. I would have to be getting pretty desperately hungry to look at them and see them as delicious. Ha. Dried is the best way to use them. Soak the dried beans in water overnight. Rinse and refresh the water. Boil them and use for all sorts of dips, purees etc. They are fabulous in soups, stews and vegetarian patties.

It is great to have a diverse range of plants in the garden. If you are able to supplement your kitchen with your own homegrown beans, then you are ahead of the rest. The Madagascan bean is a terrific source of protein and also maintains its’ shape when cooked. There are lots of recipes online to help you use your beans!  

Bean seed giveaway 

I would love to share some free seeds with you. Over the last season, we have collected lots of seeds. If you would like to grow your own Madagascan bean seed vine, simply pop down to the Nambour Town Square Markets on Thursday morning. 

I will be at the barbecue stall from 9-12noon and will give you some complimentary seeds. Come down and say hi. While stocks last.  

Happy homesteading everyone!