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Post by hmoosek on Oct 20, 2021 17:42:17 GMT -6
Back in 2018 I tried my hand at making leather britches. I had always wanted to try this food preservation method, so after reading a bit, I strung my green beans the same way you string popcorn for decorating your Christmas tree. I hung them in the shed at first then I got to thinking about it and moved them to the pantry and hung them up high. I think my wife thought I had lost my marbles. Well, after they dried down good, I took some onion and chopped it up, put in a few smoked ham hocks, the beans and started cooking. I can’t remember how long it took to make them tender, but it was a pretty good while. I’m thinking around an hour or maybe hour and a half. BUT they were oh so tasty! So lately I’ve started thinking of trying that again.
A few questions. When I did my experiment, it was with stringless beans.
Has anyone else done this? Also I’m wondering if it has ever been tried with beans that have filled out the pod? I sometimes see descriptions of beans that are good for leather britches. I even have a small package that said makes excellent leather britches. Of course with our good Appalachian Beans, we string them before cooking, but a fellow could always string before running them through the needle and thread.
Just curious if y’all had tried.
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Post by macmex on Oct 21, 2021 6:09:44 GMT -6
Anthony, I'm sure that the Appalachian folk who did this used the full or string bean for leather britches. I haven't come up with a reference that tells me, but I bet they strung them before hanging. Otherwise, it would be messy to string them when cooking. I tried and experiment this summer, doing leather britches on a tray (not strung) laid out in my greenhouse, which gets really hot. The beans look good. I'll try to get a picture for you in a bit.
I'm hoping I remembered to string mine! (Can't recall if I did.)
Here's a link to a pretty nice presentation on leather britches. The chef had a wonderful idea, to store the finished product in a paper sack. I experimented with leather britches back in the 1970s and found that after several months, hanging on the string, they were also coated in a "delicious" layer of dust.
Oak Spring Garden Foundation: Leather Britches
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Post by macmex on Oct 21, 2021 7:42:55 GMT -6
Here's a photo of the beans I dried in the green house. Moose, you've motivated me to finish this project, try cooking some and stash the rest. I noticed that I neglected to string these which may be a show stopper.
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Post by hmoosek on Oct 21, 2021 9:33:15 GMT -6
Oh boy, I’m glad to see others like to keep old traditions alive. Of all the things we grew in the garden while I was growing up, beans took a back seat. Usually we just planted pinto and used them as snap beans. I so wish I had known about Appalachian beans back when I was a kid. I grew what I saw everyone else did. My uncle gave me some porter tomatoes and some of those little “pear” tomatoes. We grew field corn of some type. I know it was dent because I remember the dent in the kernel. We used it for “roasting” ears and cream style.
I learned about Leather Britches back when you and I were on Garden Web. If I remember correctly there was a fellow on there called Farmer Dilla or something close to that. I was so interested that I started reading about them and discovered Bill Best. Oh my goodness did that take me down a rabbit hole! A wonderful rabbit hole!
One thing about Garden Web was I met some wonderful friends. There’s you of course and Annette, Harry, and several others over the years.
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Post by macmex on Oct 21, 2021 15:05:49 GMT -6
Yes, Farmer Dill (a.k.a. Farmer Dilla) was such a wealth of knowledge! Seemed he had grown everything. I'd be surprised if he's still alive as, when I first corresponded with him it was 2003 and he was already in his eighties. In 2006 he wrote "I have cut back, only a couple of acres this year." Yes, Gardenweb was the bomb. Then Houz took it over and it kind of fell apart.
Bill Best and Sustainable Mountain Agriculture are still my favorite source of information on Appalachian beans. I first read about leather britches way before the internet, though. My folks had a set of the Firefox Series. They had a write up on leather britches. Either they didn't mention full beans or else I missed it. I used Kentucky Wonder, which was my parents' mainstay. I didn't really succeed in making a good tasting dish with them, but that was partly because I used tough beans and partly because I didn't know how to cook them. I didn't learn to cook beans until the 90s, while living in Mexico.
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Post by hmoosek on Oct 21, 2021 21:45:58 GMT -6
Harry (Flintknapper) is in his 90’s too. I need to email and check on him. We were chatting back and forth pretty often a couple of years ago.
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Post by macmex on Oct 22, 2021 5:35:23 GMT -6
Oh my! Harry (a.k.a. Flintknapper) has always been a classic, a true seed saver! It's so very important that we produce new seed savers to carry on!
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Post by rdback on Oct 23, 2021 11:45:29 GMT -6
Those Ids certainly bring back memories lol.
Harry introduced us to the Black Jungle Butterbean, if I recall correctly.
"FarmerDill" still posts occasionally on Houzz. I'm not sure if it's the original poster though.
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Post by hmoosek on Oct 23, 2021 15:09:24 GMT -6
Oh yeah, there were quite a few that chatted on that bean channel. A few fellows named Roger, Darrell, Chris. All three of those guys sent me countless varieties of beans over the years. Roger sent me one named Metze’s willow leaf Lima bean. I saw it just the other day when I was rummaging around. I grew it here back around 2011. Someone gave me a pea called Ozark Razorback. That was the first cowpea that was different from what I was used to. I had always grown purple hulls, so when I received those maroon and white peas, I was captivated! I planted 1 short row and gathered several messes of fresh peas and I was still able to save a pound of seed. I think that was around 07 or maybe 08. I lose track of years. I can still see them growing! I remember the exact spot where they were planted.
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Post by macmex on Oct 23, 2021 19:07:37 GMT -6
Darrell has been on here a number of times. I think he goes by the screen name Fusion. Chris probably dropped in here a time or two, as well. I haven't corresponded with Rodger Winn for a while. Last summer he hiked the Appalachian Trail from one end to the other.
I put some of my unstrung leather britches in the crock pot yesterday and simmered them most of the day with a piece of pork jowl. Stringing them after they were cooked was a bit messy and I think I scared my wife. She wasn't sure that I'd be alright after eating that mess but they sure did taste good! Here's a photo.
I ended up eating them with a bit of Creole seasoning and a couple of tortillas. It was a satisfying supper.
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Post by hmoosek on Oct 23, 2021 20:37:48 GMT -6
Looks great!
I watch a lot of hikers attempt the AT every year. I wonder if Roger documented his trip?
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Post by macmex on Oct 24, 2021 5:23:40 GMT -6
I know he documented it on Facebook. I deleted my personal Facebook account last fall and now have an account just mainly for homesteading stuff. I think I have his email. If I can find it, I'll send it to you.
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Post by hmoosek on Oct 24, 2021 10:11:44 GMT -6
Good deal, I’d appreciate it.
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Post by rdback on Oct 24, 2021 10:14:56 GMT -6
... I haven't corresponded with Rodger Winn for a while. Last summer he hiked the Appalachian Trail from one end to the other.
Indeed he did. Now I see Rodger is planning to hike the Pacific Crest Trail starting next Spring. It is 2650 miles long and runs from the U.S.-Canadian border to the U.S.-Mexican border. Usually takes about five months. Wow.
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Post by macmex on Oct 24, 2021 13:06:10 GMT -6
I can't come up with his email. Rick, can you get that for Anthoney (HMK)?
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