I had my first portion of the Kew Blue beans last night. Considering they seemed to hang about a bit after planting they have been my first climbing beans to produce food this year. I'm mightily impressed by them. They have a really good texture and a fabulous flavour. These are going to be one of my regulars from now on. It's a real pity that these beans are not commercially available any more. Mine came from an internet friend (thanks, Bugs) but they are usually available from the Heritage Seed Library if you are a member (or from friends who grow them!) I'll be saving a stash of these at the end of the season.
Banana and Tayberry Muffins (makes 12)
10 oz SR flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 oz granulated sugar
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 medium egg
2 fl oz milk
3 fl oz corn or sunflower oil
3 oz chopped tayberries (or rasps or brambles or blackcurrant or blueberries!)
Oven to Gas 5 or equivalent
Sift flour, bicarb and sugar together.
Make a well in the centre.
Add bananas, other fruit, egg, milk and oil
Mix well for about 20 seconds until there's no dry flour but don't worry if it's lumpy.
Spoon into muffin cases in a muffin pan.
Bake 20 minutes till well risen.
Note - you usually bake till golden but anything with bananas in will have a dark hue due to threads in the cooked banana turning black. They turn out a bit darker than usual so leave them the full time to cook.
This baking session came about because I had 2 seriously black bananas in the fruit bowl. I'm the sort of person who can eat them long after most people have consigned them to the compost heap but these were too ripe even for me. The original recipe, gleaned from a muffin case box, was for banana and chocolate chip but that sounded to sweet. I intended to replace the choc chip with blackcurrants but when I went out into the garden I found I had tayberries and blackcurrants ready. The tayberries don't last so long on the plant as blackcurrants so tayberries it was. They are lovely - the tayberry sharpness counteracts the slightly cloying sweetness of cooked banana. So I have a few summer breakfasts to put in the freezer!
6 comments:
Those Kew Blue's look fantastic - would you be interested in a seed swap at the end of the year - I'll send round a list to fellow veg growers.
I love to discover the varieties that do really well in my patch - Crimson Flowered Broad Beans and Salford Black Runner Beans are a must. Salmon Flowered Peas will be added after this year - marvelous. Mrs Fortune's Climbing Bean and Caruther's Purple Podded Pea are newbies this year but are earning their place as favourites!
Celia
BTW - almost identical muffin recipe to mine - so adaptable too. Try mashed squash, raisins and mixed spice. Or Blackcurrant. Or blackberry and apple.
I certainly would be interested in a seed swap Magic Cochin.
I'm intending to list all the varieties I've saved come the autumn and put an email address on here so that people can contact me with their address. Happy to spread these fantastic seeds around!
I've been sent Caruthers' Purple Podded a few weeks ago so I'll be trying that next spring. So many seeds, so little soil!
Love the muffin recipe, Flum - sloppy housewife here often has ancient banananas left over!
I'd love to be involved in heritage seed swapping later in the year if I may - I've found the crimson flowered broadies to be a hit too, as you know - and there's more in the way of 'new stuff' to come for me too.
I have some interesting climbing drying beans (if they last that long!), and if I can work out seed saving, a rare heritage kale...
Love this growing/eating thingy!
Watch this space then Hazel! Have you seen a copy of Back Garden Seed Saving by Sue Stickland? It's excellent for advice on whether plants will cross and suitable isolation distances. Also how to dry and store your home-saved seeds. Library might get you a copy but I got one from Amazon & have it by the bed - I've read it through several times and like to dip in at bed-time.
wow those beans look delicious and so does your garden, i so love gardening and its so joyous when the fruits of our labour are tasty as well x
Hi Clarkie, welcome to my blog. You said right there!
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