Beans!

In between making a Caerphilly cheese, I finished podding the dried beans. 

On the left, Muriel's Magic. At the back, White Butterfly. Scarlet Runners on the front right, with Hawkesbury Wonder in a small bowl on top.

The eagle eyed will have noticed that the White Butterfly aren't all white. Half of them are jet black - although otherwise exactly the same as the white ones. All the seed I grew them from were white, so I assume there are some recessive bean genes playing games with me. How fantastic. 

I shall grow some white ones and some black ones on different wigwams in spring and see what happens next. Zebra stripes? Spots?

Most of these beans (other than the warm sentient one) will be stored for soups, salads and casseroles. A few of each variety will be seed for the new season's supply.

The warm sentient Bean has been especially good company today: full of entertaining behaviour and - inevitably - metaphorical beans.