Runner Beans

[secret santa 2,013]

You may all be mildly interested to hear that my Runner Beans took first prize today in our local Flower & Produce Show.

[mrbadexample 985]

Was that for a set of 6 (or however many) the same or longest?

I do like a runner bean. Good work.

[Nordle11 564]

Ahhh, this is the epitome of being British. Top work old chap, I doff my hat.  

[Peter 615]

I love runner beans,freshly cut,cooked al la dente and dipped in HP sauce. I've had mixed success this year with my veg and fruit but still enjoy the "outdoor larder"

[PWA 1967 1,840]

1 hour ago, secret santa said:

You may all be mildly interested to hear that my Runner Beans took first prize today in our local Flower & Produce Show.

Hat off ,thats quality 

 

7 minutes ago, Peter said:

I love runner beans,freshly cut,cooked al la dente and dipped in HP sauce. I've had mixed success this year with my veg and fruit but still enjoy the "outdoor larder"

That sounds horrible Peter ....Dipped in HP sauce 

[secret santa 2,013]

1 hour ago, mrbadexample said:

Was that for a set of 6 (or however many) the same or longest?

A set of 9 similar - I've been picking likely candidates over the last week and keeping them in the fridge until yesterday morning when I picked my final 9 from about 40 (!) and then wrapped them carefully in damp tea towels and bound them to wooden stakes to straighten and flatten them (a trick I learnt from the aged experts at my allotment).

I also entered a bean for the longest but was outdone by a centimetre or two (story of my life).

[mrbadexample 985]

Well done. I can thoroughly recommend this recipe for spiced pickled runner beans. I've made one batch this year already.

[secret santa 2,013]

3 hours ago, mrbadexample said:

Well done. I can thoroughly recommend this recipe for spiced pickled runner beans. I've made one batch this year already.

Thanks for the recipe - I'll get the little lady onto that, although the winning beans will be stuffed and mounted.

[Stuntman 264]

Will you really stuff and mount the winning beans?  Fair play if you do, a proper taxidermy display like a prize catch!
Congratulations, by the way.  Would it be unkind to ask how many other mad eccentric fools entrants there were?  

[secret santa 2,013]

No - the wife wouldn't tolerate a display of mummified beans around the house !

Regarding the number of entrants, because our local show awards the National Vegetable Society Medal annually to the best runner beans (every show can nominate which category it awards the medal to, but only ONE category per year), the runner beans are hotly contested. I would love to say there were several thousand entries but only approximately a dozen