Ever heard of Leather Britches? They're simply dried green beans. Back in the day before-canning jars and pressure cookers were common place-dried green beans-"leather britches" were the most popular way of preserving green beans for use during the winter months.
I've heard of leather britches-but honestly I've never eaten them. In my life time-we ate either fresh green beans or the ones Granny had canned. But making and eating leather britches is something I've always wanted to try.
I consulted my Foxfire books (see first photo) to see how to string up the green beans. The books gave varying directions from different folks. Some suggested breaking the beans before threading them on a string-others said to only string the beans before threading. Miss Cindy shared with me-her Grandmother didn't thread her leather britches at all-she simply placed the green beans on a screen and set it in the sunshine-taking it back inside at night-and repeating the process until they were dry.
Whether to put the stringed beans in the sun was another point with varying opinions. Some felt the beans should be in direct sunlight others felt indirect sunlight.
Even how to thread them on the string was up for debate. Certain folks said put the needle through the end of the bean pod but never through a bean. Others said put the need directly through the middle of the bean pod making sure you went through a bean. After the beans had dried-some folks simply left them on the string-taking them down as they needed them-others removed the beans once they were dry and stored them in sacks or bags.
So after digesting all of the info-what did I do? I pulled the string from all the green beans, threaded the needle through the end of the bean, and hung my string of leather britches in indirect sunlight where there is plenty of air flow. Will it work ? I don't know do you?
Tipper
p.s. Sometime this winter-I'll let you know how I cook the leather britches and if I like them enough to string some more next summer.
Thanks for the tip on saving ham juice for beans.
Posted by: peggy rickard | September 16, 2012 at 05:41 PM
My mom does this every year but she just puts them on a white sheet out in the sun...we love them!
Posted by: Amandaallen5 | September 13, 2012 at 12:29 PM
thanks, this really works. Good to know when we have all these beans from a good crop!
Posted by: Anita Weichert | August 18, 2012 at 08:16 PM
Getting a bushel of half-runners and a bushel of pink tips tomorrow. Going to can the half-runners and make leather britches out of the pink tips. Can't wait to see how the leather britches turn out. I remember my grandparents stringing up beans to hang for drying on their porch. I'm still lucky enough to have them around (ages 85 and 92)and will string mine to hang on their porch to dry, as well.
Posted by: Candace | August 02, 2012 at 01:48 PM
Steve-thanks for the great comment!
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Posted by: Tipper | July 18, 2012 at 10:53 AM
Great web site, I just stumbled across it!! I live in SE Kentucky and ate "shucky beans" all my childhood (I'm in my 40's now). They were usually reserved for a "treat" side dish in the Fall and Spring, especially for holiday meals and pot-luck dinners. I have also heard them called "leather britches," usually by the older folk. It seems everyone has a recipe for drying them! I last raised a big garden in 1996 but this year my mother and I are sharing one. I plan to dry some beans since we are getting a pretty good harvest of one type, the Valentino bush bean. Not sure how they will taste dried. Our half-runners harvest is miniscule and a row of "greasy beans" haven't produced any yet. Maybe the very dry weather (drought) we have been having! But the Valentino bush beans are doing well! I got the seed from Mennonites through the extension office. Anyway, last time I dried them (and it was white half runners in 1996), removed the strings, broke them and layed them on a sheet in the back window of an extra car I had that I rarely used. I have been told that direct sunlight was best. I believe I would move them around on the sheet every few days and crack the car windows during days when it didn't rain just for some air flow. I also threaded some with needle and thread and hung them up outside on the porch (I had also broke those up in about 1 inch pieces. Both methods worked pretty well. After they dried (can't remember how long, but probably a couple weeks or so), I just put them into Mason Jars and put lids on them. That's all I did. I believe that later, right before i cooked them, I soaked them for some time, maybe a few hours at least. (I would always suggest removing the strings good though before drying since bean strings never taste good - whether fresh or dried!! I remember they cooked up good and tasted great in the fall. A great addition to the Thanksgiving or Christmas meal!! They will not produce as much as fresh beans do due to the drying. I am only guessing but I would say the drying cuts the volume by one-third to one-half, so a pound of fresh beans might only make a half-pound of Shucky beans - just a guess. Shucky beans used to be quite common around these parts, but it seems fewer people grow gardens anymore and many who do don't go through the work of canning, freezing or drying the foods they grow and many young people don't know what they are, even around here. About all the older people are familiar with them though. Even if you can beans and freeze them, I would suggest drying some just to see how your experience turns out. Like I said, if they turn out, they make a great side dish for fall and spring holiday meals or a popular dish to take to your church meal or family gathering. (Note: I have read some places that if you dry them outside in the open air, to "pastuerize" them before cooking to kill any bugs or germs. You can google this but I believe it was setting oven temp to bake LOW, spreading beans on a cookie sheet, using something to keep the oven door propped open a few inches to keep the beans from cooking and keep the beans in the oven for so many minutes in the pre-heated oven. I don't remember the exact time - you can google it. I've never heard of the ole-timers doing this and I haven't done it so don't know if it's worth it or not. I would think a good thorough soaking then the cooking would be enough.) (You CANNOT do this in a microwave oven! It will cook the bean, or burn them if they are not in water!
Posted by: Steve At Thewell | July 17, 2012 at 06:09 PM
Holy cow! I love leather britches! I was born in WVa and my mother, her 9 sisters and her mother and grandmother made leather britches. We used Half Runner green beans and it worked marvelous. Just hang them where the air can circulate around them. We hung ours in the wood shed. Nice and dry and hot in the summer, out of the sun. I miss leather britches, good corn bread, green onions with hot bacon grease poured over and salted, RAMPS! I'm sure most of you have NO idea what I'm referring to but that's okay, most people don't know. I sure do miss those things.
Posted by: Wendy Row | June 18, 2011 at 06:59 PM
My family all live in KY but I was born and raised in FL. My uncle has always supplied us with shuckey beans and we have them every year at holiday time. Believe me when i say they keep forever! The last batch I cooked was 10 years old and they were AWESOME! The old timers in the hills knew what they were doing before refrigeration was available. I soak overnight, drain add fresh water, some hog jowls or side meat and cook until tender. Paired with a pone of corn bread you will be in heaven!
Posted by: Doug P. | April 01, 2011 at 11:34 AM
This is probably way too late to be of use, but y'all might want to check out www.heirlooms.org - they sell real, honest-to-goodness heirloom leather britches beans: cut shorts, greasy beans, tobacco worms.
My folks used to string "pink tip greasies" on waxed dental floss in our shed till they dried. Then stewed them with ham and onions.
Posted by: eris | February 10, 2011 at 11:09 AM
My Mother in Law taught me how to make leather breeches, and she always planted what she called "cut-short" greenbeans for that purpose. Now when I ask for cut-short seeds, they , at the feed store don't seem to know what I'm talking about. Does anyone know another name for cut-short green beans. We used to grow them in the corn so they could grow up the stalks and it worked well. If not are there any particular green been that dries better than any other. I have white half runners growing now.
Posted by: Gayle | July 27, 2010 at 06:09 AM
I loved reading this. It makes me so homesick for WV. I grew up there but now live in Florida. WV will always be my home. My mom used to make these leather britches when I was a little girl. I remember helping her string them with a needle. Some people also called them Fodder beans, not sure why. I still can some. Most people here have never heard much about canning etc. I always do green beans in February and tomoatoes in November when they are in season along with other veggies. This makes me want to do the beans again. They are wonderful.
Posted by: Linda Ogden | June 08, 2010 at 02:53 PM
Thanksgiving, 2009.
We have livec in NYC and environs since 1987 but have relatives still in Appalachian KY. They sent us Shuckey beans and we added them to the Thanksgiving menu. What a treat. We soaked ovenight, poured off the soaking water (I know some do not) then simmered on the stove in chicken stock (made from last Sunday's roasting hen) for three or so hours with salt port (could not get fatback in NY). Lovely. My husband said that at the first bite, for just a moment, he was six again. So it was worth it all
Posted by: N,.S. Rights | December 01, 2009 at 02:18 AM
Ginger Leigh
Thank you for the lovely comment! So glad you enjoyed your visit to the Blind Pig-and I sure hope you drop back by often.
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Posted by: Tipper | September 08, 2009 at 04:54 PM
Growing up in Stuart, VA, my Granny White would make leather britches using "speckled Beans." (They were white with purple/red specles all over the pod and bean.)
She would string them by the ends with a needle and sewing thread and hang them up in the back room where the old kitchen used to be. They would stay there till she needed them for cooking. I can remember them hanging on the wall in bunches during the Fall. She always canned her green beans though. I guess it was a matter of preference.
Lovely blog: I enjoyed looking through the different posts, and got a bit homesick too. I am especially glad to see you preserving folkways around you.
Even though we live on a farm these days, it's not the same with out Granny and Grandpa!
Posted by: Ginger Leigh | September 08, 2009 at 12:52 PM
Tipper,
I am very interested in knowing if your method works and what the beans taste like. I'm sure the leather breeches would be delicious in soups and stews. Looking forward to finding out.
Blessings,
Mary
Posted by: Mary | August 30, 2009 at 07:35 PM
Hey Tipper, I made Leather Breeches a couple of years ago in the dehydrator. They didn't seem quite as good as the old fashioned way. It is also not an efficient way to dry a quantity of beans. The dehydrator full of beans equaled about one cooking when it was complete.
I've always soaked then over night, sometimes with a half teaspoon of soda. Pour that off then parboil them, that takes care of any dust or such.
I've also put a dried hot pepper in the pot with the dried beans. The peppers are dried on a string just like the beans----MMMMM good eatin!
Posted by: Miss Cindy | August 30, 2009 at 11:52 AM
Cre-I 'de-stringed' the beans first. One of the old timers in the Foxfire book said too-and it made sense to me. I thought it would be one less step to worry about when I cook the beans this winter.
Blind Pig & The Acorn
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Posted by: Tipper | August 29, 2009 at 05:26 PM
Rick-I was reading in The Foxfire Book and also in The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery. I'm sure there is info about leather breeches in some of the Foxfire numbered editions as well.
Blind Pig & The Acorn
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Posted by: Tipper | August 29, 2009 at 05:22 PM
interesting post--I've never heard of drying green beans.
Posted by: trisha too | August 29, 2009 at 03:30 PM
Hey Tipper, loved reading along with your Pickle Along. I have made lime pickles, you soak the sliced cucumbers in pickling lime and then mix up and boil lots of sugar,vinegar and all kinds of spices. Yum o
I have never strung green beans. I have helped can tons when I was still home. My favorite "Granny" memory was wishing I was old enough to sit out on Granny's porch and snap beans with my aunts, Granny, and Mom. I finally did get old enough, and got to sit by Granny. She shore was particular bout how short I had to snap them beans. She also would scold me if I popped one,or five,in my mouth and started crunching away on them, raw. I still prefer eating them raw, or fried down w/fat back, or bacon and some season salt,really limp and OMGoodness! talk about good eatin. Gotta go I am taking up all the space today.
Terry
Posted by: Terry | August 29, 2009 at 11:09 AM
Funny how there are directly opposite opinions on this one. Good luck.
Posted by: SandyCarlson | August 29, 2009 at 09:01 AM
I have read about these beans in the Foxfire series and always wondered how they tasted in comparison to canned beans. Don't forget to write a post about eating them later!
Posted by: Farmchick | August 28, 2009 at 09:13 PM
Interesting! I'm excited to learn more with you :)
Posted by: Amy - parkcitygirl | August 28, 2009 at 03:39 PM
Tipper,
Great posting on leather breeches. Yes, I remember those beans. This posting brings back many childhood memories.
Posted by: Brenda Kay Ledford | August 28, 2009 at 02:26 PM
"Leather breeches", what a great way of eating beans! Will probably never have the pleasure of experiencing, although I should never say never! Good luck, Tipper!
And thank you for sharing another great concept!
Have a wonderful weekend! :))
Posted by: petra michelle | August 28, 2009 at 12:06 PM
If you give me some leather britches and a piece of fat back, you'll have a happy man on your hands!
Personally, I like leather britches better than fresh beans, but Shirley's disagree's with me on that. The flavor is completely different.
We dried 2 bushels of leather britches this year. We always hang them on the back porch, the sun hits there in the morning but it is shaded the rest of the day. All told, we probably have a small plastic grocery bag full now that they are dry. It usually takes about a week for them to dry. Just make sure they get plenty of air circulating around them or else they'll mold in the high humidity.
You also get different flavor from different types of beans. My personal favorite type of beans for leather britches are Scarlett Runners. Another favorite are half-runners. We dried Blue Lake's one year and they were good but just seems to dry up to near nothing.
Usually our leather britches are eaten long before winter, in fact, as soon as they get dry and crackly, we soak them overnight and eat them. I've already had a small mess of them this year (so much for saving them).
Shirley's Aunt Meldie dries her leather britches and then she cans them, that way they are ready to heat and eat in the winter, and she doesn't have to soak them overnight. They are good that way too. Aunt Meldie is just like me, she likes the flavor of leather britches, that's why she cans the already dry beans.
Matthew
Posted by: Matthew Burns | August 28, 2009 at 09:08 AM
Tipper, I was also surprised to see green beans; I expected cowhide. :-)
Posted by: Jennifer in OR | August 28, 2009 at 02:25 AM
I spent many hours on the back porch when I was little, stringing Leather Britches. They were so good to eat on a cold winter evening.
Posted by: Annie | August 27, 2009 at 09:54 PM
I remember reading that story in Foxfire. It sound like something I like to try I still a few bean left. What volume is that in?
Posted by: Rick Morton | August 27, 2009 at 09:33 PM
I've been wanting to do this! LOVE the Foxfire books. Such an interesting read. My MIL gave us the first 6 last year and I love to look through them.
I may have to try this with some end of season beans.
Why did you string them first? Or by string them or you talking about putting them on a string? I interpreted it as snapping the end and "de-stringing" if that makes sense.
Posted by: Cre | August 27, 2009 at 09:18 PM
Very interesting! I think I may try some in the food dehydrator just to see what they'll do. blessings, marlene
Posted by: marlene | August 27, 2009 at 09:16 PM
I've heard of them all my life. But never seen or tasted them. I'm curious to see how you like them.
Posted by: Becky | August 27, 2009 at 09:07 PM
Well, I have to say that I never cared much for the taste or texture of cooked leather britches. I did love the idea of them though.
Not long after I married, I dried some and prepared them for my husband to try. He had never heard of them. One problem I had was, they got got real dusty hanging out on the porch. Even though I rinsed them well before I cooked them, they still seemed dusty to me. That may be part of the flavor, you wouldn't get the same effect with a dehydrator...haha
My Aunt's mother-in-law dried her apples and peaches on a screen. She covered them with cheese cloth to keep the flies off. Now those were so good in the winter. Made the best fried pies.
Posted by: Pat Workman | August 27, 2009 at 07:56 PM
Let me know how they turn out. I might try that myself. We love veggies. Pappy
Posted by: Dennis Price | August 27, 2009 at 06:11 PM
Vera-I wondered the same thing. After a google search I found this link. I also discovered-if the beans are broke before drying they are called shucky beans. If they are left whole-like mine they are leather britches.
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Posted by: Tipper | August 27, 2009 at 06:10 PM