Organic Scarlet Runner Bean

“Let food be your medicine.” Hippocrates

Last fall we started our no-till gardens and this year we couldn’t be happier to see the results. Very little weeding and almost no watering made gardening so pleasant and the produce was great. One of the new seeds that we planted was scarlet runner bean, a vining vegetable used for food and as an ornamental plant, mainly popular in Europe and Central America. They covered our fence with beautiful bright red flowers, which grew into one and a half foot long beans, and at full maturity containing big beautiful black and purple seeds. The bright red blossoms attracted hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees.

The whole plant is eadible, from the small leaves to flowers, beans, pods, and roots. The flowers taste like pea shoots and are used in salad. The young beans can be used as green beens and when it is fully mature, the seeds can be dried and later cooked like other beans. It is creamy and delicious. The roots are tuberous and starchy, and are used by Native peoples for medicinal purposes.

Scarlet runner beans contain vitamin K, protein and fiber. They promote cardiovascular health by reducing bad cholesterol (LDL) and are good for bones. They also detoxify the body as a potent diuretic. They have antioxidants which make it a valuable food. It also helps to reduce weight. Drinking tea made of scarlet runner beans pods, help in treating urinary tract infection (UTI). Consuming these beans during pregnancy is beneficial for the health of the baby’s neurosystem.

Scarlet runner beans’ leaves and mature beans have to be cooked completely before consumption, otherwise they can be poisonous.

“Let’s always eat and drink healthful food and beverages and do it in moderation.” Dr. Sii