THE CHINESE BEANS - Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard - page 79

Planting. Sow seeds ½ inch to 1 inch deep. The seeds are quick to germinate in warm
soil; you'll see signs of life in 6 to 12 days.
Growing needs. Keep the vines growing briskly with plenty of moisture. Because there
is a lot of foliage to feed, side-dressing during the growing season is beneficial. Use
compost mixed with a little balanced fertilizer or water in a fish-and-seaweed product,
when flowers first appear.
How to Harvest
Although plants reach full maturity in 60 to 90 days, you should never wait that long to
pick them. Yard-long beans, like snow peas, are at their best when immature, with the
bean barely swelling inside the pod and before the pods whiten. The idea is to pick them
while the whole pod is still tender enough to be edible, up to 18 inches long. They're so
prolific (if they fruit at all) that you'll be hard pressed to keep up with them. Pick and
freeze the excess rather than letting them get tough and mature on the vine. Figure on
daily picking during the season. If they get ahead of you, shell the mature pods and dry
the beans inside.
Varieties
There are two kinds, red-seeded and black-seeded.
Varieties to look for: 3-Feet Plus, Chinese Red Noodle Beans, Canton White Pod.
CULINARY USES
You have to cut up yard-long beans no matter how you cook them because a vegetable
that's over a foot long is too awkward to deal with otherwise. They cook quickly,
which is especially welcome to today's busy cooks. Once prepared you can:
• Use yard-long beans like green beans. Chop into 2-inch lengths, boil briefly, and
serve with butter, garnished perhaps with a sprinkling of chopped walnuts or ses-
ame seeds.
• Include them in stir-fry dishes. Combine with shredded pork, sliced mushrooms,
burdock, water chestnut, and pak choy leaves and stems.
• Cut smaller pieces for soup and simmer in chicken broth along with a tablespoon
of grated lemon rind, a teaspoon of grated fresh ginger, and a few chopped mit-
suba leaves.