h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Two or three days ago I picked about a pound of green beans from my bean patch. Today I picked even more. There aren't many new blossoms right now, so whatever new beans are still growing are the ones that have bloomed too recently to be big enough to pick so far.

The beets are getting very large leaves now. The first planting was spotty, so I went back with another pack of seeds and filled in the holes. Now the second planting is getting big enough to pick leaves from.

The squashes have plenty of leaves, and several female blossoms, but once they blossom there's no follow through. They don't grow.

They used to tell me to beware of beans, peas and other legumes as they might give gout. But now I hear people challenge this hypothesis

Yeah, it's hard to keep up with all the new research.
http://goutandyou.com/gout-and-beans/

The doctors keep telling me to eat only small amounts of meat/poultry/fish. I compensate by adding beans, for the extra protein. Also peanuts.

Thanks, this is very interesting!

I have never actually read much about avoiding legumes for gout reasons - only that it was best to avoid eating too many because purins. Now I finally have something to back up a claim - and it turns out to claim the opposite

This is very welcome since some of my favourite dishes are boiled lentils or a soup of yellow peas both served with cured pork, sausages or beef

Oh and and schnapps of course

Julia Child used to say that most doctors think it's okay to eat a little bit of everything.

Beware of beans? Dangerous Beans? Bet Pratchett already thought of....oh wait, yup...

Beans are dangerous if you eat them raw. That is, the dried beans after being soaked in water.

My sister-in-law likes to serve the immature green beans half-cooked at Thanksgiving. These are not particularly dangerous, but I'd rather not take chances.

An essential of gardening, the camel hair brush for hand pollinating.

"Julia Child used to say that most doctors think it's okay to eat a little bit of everything."

Except half-cooked green beans and cyanide and a number of other stuff ...

Here are some foods that contain small amounts of cyanide:
almonds
tapioca
millet sprouts
lima beans
soy
spinach
bamboo shoots

Here are some foods that contain small amounts of nicotine:
tomato
eggplant
cauliflower
potatoes
peppers

Need I go on?

No

But now you may define the difference between "a little bit" and "small amount"

We aren't talking about very much, which is the point. The small amounts of whatever don't get to add up as long as you're getting a good variety.

Agreed. I read that as a small amount is something that won't harm you whereas even a little bit of cyanide will most certainly kill you

I'm not very good at computing amounts where these potent poisons are concerned. There's a threshold below which you are probably safe.

Your FDA and their European colleagues probably have this covered. Safely.

Now back to beans: I'm thinking of experimenting with beans, minced beef, chili peppers, bell peppers, and the like. I have made Chili Con Carne many times but I may try different beans this time. Don't think I've ever tried black beans. Any thoughts?

Black beans work really well in chili. I like to mix pinto beans, black beans, light red kidney beans, and dark red kidney beans in mine.

All in one go? Interesting. I was thinking they would - how do you say: steen each other's thunder?

But then chili and the other flavours probably won't allow the beans to taste of much in the first place, right?

Okay, I'll give it a try, for sharing!

By the way tonight I roasted pieces of pork tenderloin, coarsely chopped portobello mushrooms, onions, garlic and bell peppers in butter, added a little fruit juice, seasoned with salt and black pepper and served this with boiled potatoes. Not bad, but might improve with curry powder

and that should be "steal each other's thunder" of course

I eat a lot of black beans.

Do you ever mix them with other beans, like Amy does, paulh?