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Asian Winged Beans

breezyb
18 years ago

Anyone here grow/eat them?

Since I'm a biggy on Asian cooking, am growing them for the first time this year. Have never eaten them before either.

Any growing tips? Cooking tips? Taste descriptions?

Will post this on the Vegetable forum as well.

Thanks!

Comments (12)

  • chaman
    18 years ago

    You will find some helpful info. about Asian Winged Beans at
    echonet.org and evergreenseeds.com.

  • ianna
    18 years ago

    Yummy. I like them stir fried. It retains its crunchy texture.

  • donna_loomis
    18 years ago

    They are really tasty, but you must harvest them at no more than 2 inches or they get quite stringy. They really do taste a bit like asparagus. I had quite a time germinating them, though. Out of 12 only 3 sprouted. I dug up the others and the seeds were full of worms.

  • breezyb
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Haven't planted mine yet. It's still a bit too cool here for beans.

    Do you cook them like you would regular snap beans?

  • donna_loomis
    18 years ago

    That depends on how you cook regular snap beans. I would say that you want to cook these as little as possible. That's why they're perfect for stir fry.

  • jun_
    18 years ago

    The winged beans I remember eating were about 4-5 inches long and not stringy at all. My mom would cook a meat stew and you can dip raw winged beans into them. I really don't know how she made the stew but it was delicious.

  • jun_
    18 years ago

    I'm growing some right now. Hopefully I will have enough seeds to exchange next season

  • zeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
    15 years ago

    Just came across this thread during a search. I've grown the winged bean from E.C.H.O (echonet.org) for several years. It is one of the few winged beans that at daylength-neutral, along with "Hunan" from Baker Creek. Both are pole varieties, and require the same support as other pole beans.

    Day neutral or not, they require a long, warm season to produce pods. Here in Wisconsin, I need to start them indoors as transplants... and even then, I can only get pods for a few weeks before frost. Growing dry seed is out of the question for short-season areas.

    Winged bean seeds are "hard", so they should be soaked overnight, and only the seeds which expand should be planted. You can improve the germination rate by filing or nicking the seed coat, to allow the water to penetrate.

    I'm afraid I am not a big fan of the cooked flavor, which seemed too sweet to me, almost saccharin-like. Cooked with beef, however, it was interesting. The pods are not the only part which is edible. The leaves are very high in protein as well, although I have yet to try them personally. Given that pods are not very cost-effective here, the leaves may be a better use of space.

    The flowers are large & quite beautiful, so this could be a good choice for edible landscaping. I finally figured out how to get this photo out of my phone!
    {{gwi:385264}}

  • chaman
    15 years ago

    I had grown winged beans a few years back for seed.Seeds were bought from E.C.H.O..Seeds did not mature hard enough for shelling due to cold weather condition of Maryland. We used tender shoots and pods for stir-frying.I have read that tuberous roots are edible.Winged beans are known as Goa beans also.

  • John Harris
    11 years ago

    I'm a Florida gardener, looking for the Asian winged bean
    seed to make a trade/SASE with a grower of them.
    anyone have a few seeds to spair?
    send me an email if available please.
    John H. zone 9b

  • chilliwin
    11 years ago

    I feel lucky to see all these messages. I have bought some Winged Beans seed from Thailand but it is not germinated. Same time I sow Yard Long Beans it germinated so fast without any problem. Now I have 4 seeds and I soaked in water, so please help me to germinate it successfully.

  • chilliwin
    11 years ago

    I feel lucky to see all these messages. I have bought some Winged Beans seed from Thailand but it is not germinated. Same time I sow Yard Long Beans it germinated so fast without any problem. Now I have 4 seeds and I soaked in water, so please help me to germinate it successfully.

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