Monday 31 May 2010

i lupini



A long while ago I was wondering where I could get some lupini beans, the selected offspring of various edible lupins popular in Latin countries as a beer snack and regarded as having good potential for a temperate vegetable protein source.

It was easier than I thought. Although I'd somehow missed them in my previous search they were in fact commercially available via Seeds of Italy nestled down submissively in the bean section of the catalogue. For some reason, although they're called beans and, I suppose, must be regarded as beans I had believed them as something more exotic, more lupine, not really a boring old bean at all.

So in went my order and back came the Lupini!

I have to say the dried seed of this variety seems much bigger than the bean seeds I have eaten from jars and in olive mixes in the last couple of years. Whether this represents an improvement in breeding or just an alternative variety is beyond me. The packet says nowt.

Anyway, they've germinated into sturdy little seedlings and today I've planted the first batch out. I've also sown a few more although the box suggests it's right at the limit for getting a crop which apparently won't be ready before October or November...

More news on this breaking story when it's available.

And now I'd better get on with earthing up the spuds. Blightwatch tells me that Guernsey has already had a full Smith period.

3 comments:

Madeline McKeever said...

Oh, how exciting. I love finding new things to grow. I will be looking forward to seeing how you get on with these.

ICQB said...

Yikes! I'm growing potatoes for the first time. I never even thought about blight! And I barely know what I'm doing. I only have about 20 or so plants.

Last year where I am it was a terrible year for the poor tomatoes. Blight everywhere - begun from infected plants offered through a chain hardware store/garden center.

Good luck with the Lupini - they look marvelous as seedlings!

Rhizowen said...

Hope the slugs leave your lupins alone. I've found this to be their downfall on more occasions than I care to recall. I remember hearing about a project to breed a winter hardy white lupin for the UK. Don't know what became of it.