I hate removing dry beans from their pods. I plant at least four beds of beans every year. I complained in one of my YouTube videos that bean removal process was a big time hog. One of my YouTube reader told me to use my dryer for faster shucking. Shoot me now. Learn why you SHOULDN’T use your dryer to remove beans from pods. (Plus video to add to my embarrassment…)
How to Removing Beans from Pods
Before I go into my drama laden issue. Watch the below video that shows you how I normally remove my dry beans from their pods.
Okay, now you have the picture of why this task can be so time intensive especially since I plant four beds of beans each year. (Since I am a glutton for punishment, I planted five beds this year.) I use the square foot method of garden, in which you plant your seed closer.
Anna, why don’t you just remove your beans from their pods like you illustrated in your video?
Here is the math. Using the square foot gardening method, I sow 238 seeds per bed. Each bed is 8 foot by 4 foot. Each pod could have at least four beans. Some have more.
Each plant could have 10 pods per plant. (Or so it seems that way.) If you do the math, that is a whole lot of shucking. At first it is fun and then as the beans dry on the plants, it starts to wears on your mind and body. Think about it like having 10 loads of laundry to fold.
*Collective groan.*
Using your dryer for easier bean removal.
Using the dryer sounded like a brilliant idea since the heat would open up the pods. I dreamed that all I would have to do was scoop out the pods and put them into a bag for the compost. At the bottom of the dryer would be my glorious beans.
15 minutes of heat and 10 minutes of work. Sounds dreamy, right?
Wrong.
Wrong.
And double wrong.
Or at least that’s what happened to me.
Only me.
I threw the bean pods in the dryer for 10 minutes on heat. Something smelled like it was burning.
Duh. The pods are paper like.
I stopped the dryer immediately.
Guess what happened next?
My worse nightmare. Worse than bubble gum in your dryer. (I know. That is pretty awful. I had to deal with that too.)
Small fragments of paper flew out of the dryer when I opened the door. I knew right then and there I was in trouble.
The lint tray was full of beans and small fragments of paper. Worse yet, the beans had fallen below the lint tray. I tried for an hour to suction the beans from that lowly spot in the dryer. I used every vacuum attachment made to man (or whatever I had) to get those beans out of the dryer.
Nothing worked. Absolutely nothing.
The bean still make a noise when I turn on the dryer.
I realized that beans weren’t the only material in that unreachable space. Coins and other small items were lodged in that space. Be sure to check yours. it is quite eye opening.
Maybe the beans slipped through the lint remover tray since there was a small hole in mesh. (Yes, only these drama laden tragedies happen to me.)
What about the beans? About 80 to 90 percent did come out of their shells and laid at the bottom of my drier covered in shredded paper.
I spent four hours sorting through the beans and paper rumble. I would gently blow on a handful of beans to remove the chaff (or small paper) from the beans. In addition, about 10% of the beans still had to be removed from their pods.
My laundry floor was a mess and some of the beans went under the dryer.
Be sure to see my video if you need a good laugh. (I can hear it now. Anna. Anna. Anna. Only these things happen to you.)
One Facebook reader thought a pillow case would have worked. It might have saved me a huge dryer mess but I still would have to sort through the paper chaff and pods.
Worse yet, what happens if the pillow case opened up?
So, I am back to the tedious method of removing the beans from the pods one by one.
Join the Conversation
Anyone have any help or suggestions how to shuck your dried beans?
Green Bean says
ha ha! Thank you for saving me the mess. I guess I’ll just stick with doing it by hand. I love growing dried beans and add more every year but I’m still not up to your level yet.
Jessica says
oh gosh! LOL! I totally hate that job….good thing my kids like to do it. 😉
Jennifer Margulis says
Oops! Now I know what NOT to do (reminds me of the Bike Lesson by the Berenstein Bears…)
Lori Popkewitz Alper says
Only you Anna! So funny. I like the pillow case idea. I think that could have worked.
Renee Kohley says
OH goodness!!!!
linda spiker says
Well who knew!
Dina-Marie says
I have done this! It is a lot of work although not very hard – just time consuming!
Anna@Green Talk says
Dina-Marie, it takes forever. I wish I knew a short cut. Anna
Susanne Runion says
It did sound like it could have been a good idea. At least it didn’t completely destroy your dryer.
Melanie says
I still think that this idea has merit, but unfortunately I do not have any dried beans in the pod to test it on. If I acquire some, I’ll post my results. Try this method:
* Make certain that your beans are REALLY dry before attempting this.
* Sew the pods into a pillow case. Just run a basting seam by hand or machine along the open end. It will be easy to open later.
* Set the dryer on Air Fluff or any other no-heat setting. Run the dryer as long as needed.
* Check often by rubbing the pillowcase bottom, holding it up by the edge with the basting seam. Shake the pillowcase for a few seconds. If beans are collecting in the bottom, you are succeeding.
Anna@Green Talk says
Melanie, sounds like a great idea except I have 800 bean pods! Anna