Canned "Butterbean" limas might give you some idea, since it would offer a comparison between shellies & dried limas. Frozen edamame (or frozen cowpeas, if you can find them) would also give you an idea of green-shelled legumes. If you think about it, even fresh green peas are shellies... compare that to split pea soup.

Any bean can be used as shellies when the seeds in the pod have reached maturity, but not all are suitable. The pods of good shell beans are easy to open, have little to no clinging membranes, and good flavor & texture at the green ripe stage.

I've tried "Chinese Red Noodle" as a shelly; the seeds were fairly small, and it was difficult to separate the beans from the membranes. The taste was nothing special, same earthy flavor as dry blackeye peas. "Fortex" was just OK as a shelly, and it took a lot of them to get a bowl full. I grow the white-seeded Kentucky Wonder ("Pole 191"), and while the shellies are fairly large & easy to shell, I don't care for their flavor.

Curiously, the heirloom "Brita's Foot Long" is superficially identical to "Pole 191", but has seeds of superior flavor... so there can be considerable variation in quality, even between beans of very similar appearance. The only way to find out is to try them all... which is a lot of fun. There are always ripe beans of all varieties still hanging the day before frost, which is a good time to test them.

The Romano beans are typically large in the shelly stage, so of the varieties you list, Emmers, they might be your best bet.

The eating quality of shellies is hard to describe, in comparison to the same beans dry. I would characterize it as sweeter, with a more complex flavor & better texture. Most of the beans used for shellies are also some of the largest in their species, although there are exceptions. The small-seeded "flageolet" beans are probably the best-flavored of all the common beans.

I prepare my shellies very simply, by boiling or steaming them until nearly tender. Cook them too long, and the skins may burst. I drain them & butter them immediately, since many varieties will crack as their skins begin to dry; the butter is already pre-melted, with salt or seasonings mixed in. The beans may be soft at this point (this varies by variety) so rather than stirring, I pour them back & forth gently between two bowls until all beans are buttered & the spices evenly distributed. The beans should be allowed to cool slightly before serving, during which time they will firm up internally (although the skins will continue to soften) and absorb the spices used.

An observation regarding shellies... blanching & freezing actually seems to improve their texture.

Zeedman, you are making me look forward to September! I can see that you have a more sophisticated method of serving shellies. I just drain, toss some butter in the pot and sprinkle with salt, pepper and possibly herbs. The stirring doubtless results in bruising or breaking of the shellies. A bit of grated cheese is sometimes added.

Emmers, shelly beans are my favorite vegetable and I grow several kinds each summer.

There a great thread on shellies here.

One bean that is mentioned there is called "Ma Williams" or "Goose." That is a good snap and a very fine shelly. Goose is avalable here.

That site has many other great candidates. "Tobacco Worm" is eaten when the seeds swell so it is a combination snap and shelly. They have strings, but the extra effort is very well worth it.

Just a word of caution: Growing shellies can be addictive! - Dick

"I very much like edamame."

You've tried shellies. ;-)
All the others are just variations on the theme.

A gardening friend of mine had a lot of overgrown bush beans a couple of years ago and was unhappy that they would be a wasted crop. I suggested she shell them. They made a hit with her and her husband and they have been eating shellies ever since. I have no idea what variety they were or if she always grows that variety.

In certain localities (Southern Ohio for instance) cowpeas, or southern peas, are available as frozen shellies. I have found canned copeas with snaps, but not very opten. Birdseye frozen baby limas are available just about everywhere I believe.

The best ones are fresh from your garden. My favorites so far are cowpeas. There is a thread about them running here currently.

Jim

Thanks, all - I will try that preparation method on any overstuffed Romanos I get, and I also noticed that High Mowing seeds said Dragon's Tongue makes a good flavored shelly, so hopefully between those two I'll get an idea.

Has anyone tried Dragon's Tongue as a shelly?

I live with a picky vegetable eater who hates peas, isn't crazy about edamame or dried beans, and turns away snap beans once they get the slightest bulge of bean, so while that makes deciding what to grow more complicated it should make it easy to get some shellies from those two varieties.

Oh, and any general estimates of cooking time?

Thanks again,

~emmers

I was at Grand Central Station today, and the green grocers in the street-level Market Place was selling freshly shelled cranberry beans (shellies). Who knows if they were cranberry or borlotto beans, or some other variety.....

....so if you or someone you know are commuting to NYC, you know where to find shellies....

Best of luck ....ppod

Around here, the cranberry type shellies would be called horticultural beans.

There is a thread about horticultural beans.

Jim