The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-10-10 00:00:00

LITTLE KNOWN DAINTIES.

Ganat HAZIS-Beans, such as are commonly
know by the name abroad, are very little eaten in
England. We have our broad beans, French beans,
and runner beans, but save in the form we see them as
ripened seed in the corn-chandler's or seedamen's shop*,
the great varieties of haricots eaten by foreign nations
are almost unknown here: in fact, although the white
haricots were introduced during the potato famine in
Ireland, 1847-48, even they have not become popular;
their use as a table vegetable is quite exceptional,
although it has been well and clearly demonstrated that
beans as well as peas possess warmth-imparting and
nutritive properties in a very high degree.
/*Spaniard', Italians, and French all consume vast
quantities of beans, and dried or ripe haricots,
baked with salt pork and molasses, form a national
dish in the United States ; in France, indeed, there
are many sorts of haricot beans eaten, especially in
winter; theme are haricots rouges, haricots blancs, and
petit haricots—the last a small brown bean, not much
larger than the seed of French beans. The two lad-
named are given commonly in French boarding
schools, and form a staple article of food among the
people. Haricots blance are a little more expensive,
and haricots verts, the seed of the white haricot,
while still young and green are a great delicacy, and
only seen upon occasion, biting as highly appreciated
and as dear in Paris as the earliest green peas in our
own country.
When we desire to have haricots vest' in England
we must grow them, as they we never to be met with,
even in Covent Garden Market. There is not the
least difficulty involved in the cultivation of this
dainty; the expense of seed is scarcely worth men-
tioning, for • quart may be procured from any corn-
chandler for Gol. or M., and we have always found such
seed germinate freely.
We sow the seed at the same time as scarlet rtunters,
and the plants are treated in almost the same manner,
with the exception of being sown farther apart, am
each plant, besides growing to a considerable height,
branches out almost to the bottom of the stem.

Like scarlet runners, white haricots are very
ornamental as well as useful; they form an excellent
ocreen when trained up strong sticks, and may be
used with good effect in cottage ganiens ; the flowers
are pale lilac and white, or lemon colour and white,
but are not so large as those of well grown scarlet
runners.
The beans are ready for gathering green about the
end of August; they are in perfection when about the
size f green peas, and should be boiled and served in
exactly the same manner, omitting the Mint.
Haricots blancs cannot be used in the same way se
scarlet runners, for the pod has a thick inner skin,
which renders it totally unfit for culinary purposes.
The beans which are not used while young may be
left to ripen; they will be found much nicer and
more delicate in flav our than the imported ones,
which are often several years old before they reach the
consumer.
For the last two seasons a very large descriptions of
white haricot has been met with in corn-chandlers'
shops ; we have several time. tried it as a table veget-
able, prepared in similar ways to the smaller varieties,
but it wad always, to our thinking, much coarser in
flavour; we have not as yet grown this particular
kind I haricot, but hope to do so next season.
On the various methods of preparing dried haricots
It is almost unnecessary to speak, they may be need
for any purpose for which split peas are employed,
making excellent soups, purks, S. J. in
Garrkaers' Chronicle.