Shelling Dried Beans... Oh What Fun!

Showing how we take care of our Jacobs Cattle Beans. Boring and tedious work, but some bodies got to do it.
One thing I didn't mention was the floor fans we have in the kitchen that help to more quickly dry the beans, they also kick up a lot of dust!
UPDATED INFO: From what you see on the table we will be able to save '2 gallons' of food/seed. This is a record harvest for us.
From the 300 feet of beans we planted, about 70% were picked and brought inside.
From that about 90% will be worthy of storage.
So in reality, we are able to secure 1 quart of dried beans for every 40 feet of plants... if all goes well.

[@missmamtube]

I enjoyed learning how to shell dry beans, the drying and shelling boxes are neat too. Thank you and God bless you and yours !

[@timjturner]

Nice harvest......I will have to try these beans....Great idea for a table to shell beans......

[@PilgrimPrepper]

Hey thanks for the kind words Brother. Yeah they taste similar to a pinto, some say more like a green bean, but with a nutty and full flavored taste. They hold their shape well under long cooking, and I recon you can make them taste like whatever you want as they stand up well to seasoning.

[@PilgrimPrepper]

Hey SouthernBelle, The butter beans we have came a local farmer who can trace the seed back 105 years. We planted 180 feet of seed this year and were able to harvest 5 quarts. We planted 3/4's of a quart in the ground and got 5 quarts back... a 1to 5 ratio is not too shabby. We also got a small amount seed from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds four years ago. The official name for these butter beans is "Dixie Speckled Butterpea Lima".

[@WillToWinvlog]

I eat these beans all the time. They're somewhat popular in New England.

[@PilgrimPrepper]

You're welcome, and blessings to you also.

[@PilgrimPrepper]

Hey Sheila, thanks for the sub... We got our Jacob's Cattle beans from Seed Savers Exchange about 5 or 6 years ago. They are seed #M164 and will cost you about $6 a pound. So every time I fill a one quart jar, I making $13 retail in theory. Yeah you've got to have some good working tables... I'm getting very close to 50 years old, and bending over just ain't fun anymore!

[@PilgrimPrepper]

Yeah give em a try, we are very pleased with them. It is a northern variety... but I try not to hold it against it! They work well for everything from Bahhhhston Baked Beans to a south western chili. I saw you using a pea sheller in one of your vids... and forgot that I had one! We will speed through that second table if I can get it to work with the dried beans... also have 180 feet of Butter Beans I need to pick and shell... I know it will work for them.

[@jethrob34]

Thank you for the Bible reference. The lord does give us patience to do his work which benefits us

[@mickiehill6465]

If you put 2 or 3 handfuls in a pillowcase and beat it against the top of the table for a few minutes, the shells just fall off. No tired fingers! Yay!

[@2aminitials]

Mesh onion sacks work well to dry the pods in, just fill the sack up and hang in a dry, airy spot. To shell beans easier put a few hand fulls in a heavy pillowcase or cloth sack, crush the pods up very well. Then pour the pods and beans mix out of the sack into a large bowl. Pour the mix back and forth between large bowls outside on a windy day or in front of a fan on high. The chaff blows away leaving you with clean beans.

[@orpheusgrand1037]

best thing to do when doing boring things, listen to badass music :)

[@ReapingTheHarvest]

With beer.

[@PilgrimPrepper]

It's a bush bean. I got WAY more beans than I thought I would this year... so many we still haven't got them put away yet. It appears we can actually skip a years planting and still have plenty for 2014's growing season. What we will need to do is set aside a quart jar of 2011, and a quart jar of 2012, then we will be able to go heavy on them again in 2014's growing season. I should finish sorting them and get them put up instead of sitting hear YouTubing.. but I don't feel like it!

[@Sheila6325]

Thank you for the information, I will check them out, and shoot, your young, I'm 64 and I know what constant bending over can do to ya! But, we gotta do what we gotta do huh? I love the tables and I will be making them. Thanks again.

[@Sheila6325]

I read your stats, and wow, that is fantastic! I've never seen these seeds before, can you tell me where I can find them? I would love to plant some. I'm also thrilled about the table you made. It's exactly what I have been trying to get my son to understand, now I can show him. They are wonderful to work with, and save a lot of headaches when it comes to garden jobs. I really miss having one. Thanks!

[@cathyanderson8197]

you can also put them in a plastic bag and whack them against the wall and they'll pop open and come out.

[@PilgrimPrepper]

+Cathy Anderson Good idea!

[@davidthegood]

That was hilarious and helpful at the same time. I'm in N. FL, so my gardening conditions are probably similar to yours. I was wondering if Jacob's Cattle would grow well here - nice to see you're having luck. Thanks.

[@FreeAmericaChannel]

We pick the different beans as they are ready (red, black, white and pintos) and the dry them by the dehydrator load overnight or so, then shell them and place them in canning jars. I may have to try the Jacob's cattle beans. Are they climbers or bush beans?

[@SouthernBellePrepper]

Do you have a local source for your seed or do you order online? If online, where do you get them from?

[@sweetalayna1]

Jacob had spotted sheep not cattle.