It is a water supply issue at the time of development. A shellie crop requires consistent high levels of water.

Only the true beans (seeds) are used for shellies. The purples are ok if fully developed, just beyond prime picking, and the color depends on what the variety of bean was to begin with. The fleshy pods and small dark seeds are tossed.

Dave

No water supply out there - I did water in July when it was so dry, just to keep them alive, but have just been going with what rain we've had since. Thanks, I'll sort of the smaller darker seeds and compost them along with the pods I already threw in the bucket.

It seems like the Kentucky Wonders are producing better "Shellies" than the Bush Blue Lake (not that I have many BBL left).

I did notice when I tried a few on Tuesday that the water will turn dark when you boil them, even if the beans were green?

Thanks