pile of beans

This was one day's harvest. And then it started slowing down.

I'm trying to go out there more often to pick them when they're smaller, save up for a few days in the fridge to have enough until we eat them. At this size they're a bit coarse texture even with the strings pulled off. But I baked some in a casserole and it was great that way. (These are steamed with bit of salt and butter)

While out there snipping off sickly-looking leaves (I find this keeps the spread of pathogen in check- which I think is caused by the stink bugs) I also cut off these mottled bean pods. I thought they looked moldy.

Actually now I think they were just going through color changes as maturing? I split them open curious to see how the seed was forming, and it looked great- but not good to save yet. They weren't quite plump and all felt a bit soft or squishy.

Oddly I found two that appeared to be sprouting inside their pods- from the moisture of recent rain? The sprout wasn't coming from the attachment point where the bean was connected inside the pod, but to the side of that spot.

Anyhow, all the beans that got too big before I picked, I've left to mature on the vines and many of them are getting the same mottled look now. Soon to quit watering and just let them all develop seed.