Black Jet

Tuesday, 27 October 2009 12:21

Cool, short summers don't suit most soya beans - they need heat, water and humidity to do well. But this new, hardier variety 'Black Jet' is one of the best to grow in the UK in a poor summer. The black beans can be eaten raw with drinks and have a deliciously creamy, pistachio-like taste. To cook the beans boil the pods in unsalted or salted water for 10 minutes and then shell the beans inside, simply by squeezing beans out of the pods, for eating. The cooked or uncooked pods can be stored in the freezer for later uses and cooked with meat or mixed with other vegetables for various dishes. Grows to 2ft with white flowers. Black Jet beans grow best at temperatures between 65º and 75ºF. They are a warm season crop, requiring up to 120 days to reach maturity and dry. The beans are left on the plants to dry, so humidity and heat can cause damage to the beans as they are drying on the plant, and rain can be a problem during the drying and curing process. They are harvested by machine, and the plants themselves left as 'green manure'. Developed by Johnny’s from stock supplied by the USDA. The 2’ plants are early maturing and are prolific yielders of medium-sized, jet-black soybeans. The beans are thin-skinned with rich flavor. Days to Bloom: 104 Days to Maturity: 120 Go to table of bean varieties