Greek Gigantes

Here we have a very special and rare runner bean from the mountains of northern Greece, which has been bred over hundreds of years for the enormous buttery seeds, rather than being bred for eating the pods as we are used to.  The seeds are alarmingly large, being about twice the size of the Czar above, which itself is a pretty big-seeded variety amongst normal runner beans. They are fantastic in soups and stews, and the staple ingredient in delicious dishes such as:

• gigantes in savoury tomato sauce
• gigantes dressed with lemon juice, oregano, olive oil, & salt, in a salad
• gigantes paté (a bit like hummus) made with garlic and olive oil

You can find loads more mouth-watering recipes on the internet or in greek cookbooks by searching for ‘gigantes beans’. You grow them up canes just like a normal runner bean (so easy if you are used to that), but leave the pods to go brown and papery, then shell out and collect the seeds. They can be dried for storage or used fresh. They swell up even bigger when cooked. Now you might think they look like lima beans – but this is a common misconception; they really are true runner beans, which of course are much easier to grow. And the mountainous areas in the far north of where they are from are quite wet and cold at night, so we think they should do well in many parts of the UK. They certainly grow well for us here in west Wales, and are extremely tasty. 

Let us know how they do for you, we’d also love your favourite recipes / cooking suggestions.