Out of all the fantastic experiences I had at the organic farm one of the most interesting was harvesting kidney beans out in the field. It was extremely interesting to find out where these little beans actually come from and how they are grown. Now normally I despise the kidney bean as it’s taste has never been my favorite and I always seem to find them in food where I don’t particularly want to find them. However well harvesting them directly from the field I gained a certain appreciation for them as a crop.
Kidney beans grow in pods which are harvested once dry. At the end of their growing season the bean plants turn brown, brittle and dry out to the point where someone could assume they were dead (me), but they aren’t, in fact this is when they are ready to be harvested and later stored.
As the plants dry out they begin to split open and if your not careful while picking them you could lose all the beans and just end up with an empty pod which wouldn’t be fun and happened to me more then I’d like to admit. To harvest the beans you essentially just rip the bean pod off of the plant and put it in a basket. The actual plant can be left in the field to decompose and fertilize the ground paving the way for a whole new generation of bean plants next season.
After the beans have been harvested they will be removed from the pods and stored in a dry place so they can be sold or planted next season. Overall it was a pretty interesting experience as I got to learn a little more about the little bean I normally view as a nuisance.
Written by: Anne Oakley