Beauty and the Bean
(Via washingtonpost.com - A Cook's Garden by Barbara Damrosch)
If there were a prize for the most versatile vegetable, the scarlet runner bean would be a serious contender, even though it's hardly a garden staple. It may be best known as a children's plant. Kids are often encouraged to make a tepee out of bean poles and sow scarlet runners at the base of each. This is a great project for a small gardener -- the seeds are easy to plant, quick to sprout and fast-growing. By midsummer, a tent of dark green vines has magically appeared, adorned with clusters of scarlet flowers, a secret hideout of his or her own creation.
If there were a prize for the most versatile vegetable, the scarlet runner bean would be a serious contender, even though it's hardly a garden staple. It may be best known as a children's plant. Kids are often encouraged to make a tepee out of bean poles and sow scarlet runners at the base of each. This is a great project for a small gardener -- the seeds are easy to plant, quick to sprout and fast-growing. By midsummer, a tent of dark green vines has magically appeared, adorned with clusters of scarlet flowers, a secret hideout of his or her own creation.
