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Haricot beans, Phaseolus vulgaris, fagioli, navy beans, pea beans and yankee beans, are small, oval, plump and creamy-white with a mild flavour and smooth, buttery texture.
In the US, they are known as navy beans and are the classic ingredient in Boston baked beans.
Haricot beans are widely used in the cooking of countries such as France, Spain, Portugal and South America.
With little flavour of their own, they absorb other aromas and flavours easily, which makes them popular beans to use in bean salads, vegetable soups, slow-cooked dishes such as cassoulet or bean purées.
Know your Haricot bean - Varieties
Know your Haricot bean - Varieties
Filet bean
Filet bean
The Filet beans (Haricot Vert) Phaseolus vulgaris are thinner than other beans, not just an ordinary snap picked while still immature.
However, they are not considered a separate species.
Basically, thin, relatively short beans.
Other than that, they are like any other pole (or bush) snap bean.
Classic French filet beans usually have a string and must be harvested young.
Recent developments have eliminated the string in most varieties.
For best flavour, harvest very young - under 0.6cm (1/4 inch) thick.
Masai Bush Filet Bean
This very popular baby French filet bean is one of the most popular in Europe.
Very good and flavourful beans are borne on bushes that have small leaves making it easy to pick.
The pods are 4 inches long and a nice green colour.
It is very disease resistant and has a white seed.
Great Northern bean
Great Northern bean
The great northern bean is a large white bean that resembles a lima bean in shape with a delicate distinctive flavor.
These beans have a very mild flavour, thin skins, and a velvety texture when cooked.
They readily absorb the flavours of added spices and herbs.
They’re a popular ingredient in Mediterranean dishes and in French cassoulet.
They need to soak for a minimum of four hours.
Maxibel Filet Bean
A fancy-type 'classic French filet' bean with very long, 7-1/2" extremely thin (only 1/4" across), dark green pods.
Flavourful and attractive black beans fill the pods all season long.
It is stringless - the first 'classic filet' bean with that attribute.
Nickel Filet Bean
Classic, petite French filet bean.
Remarkable tolerance to both hot and cold growing conditions.
Stringless pods have a consistent deep green colour and are slow to develop seeds.
Compact plants with strong, upright branches and good disease resistance.
For the absolute best tasting beans, harvest every other day and pick them when they are 10cm long and 1.25cm diameter (4" and 1/2").
Straight 'N Narrow Filet Bean
Petite, straight, dark green and tasty.
Sturdy, upright, 18" bush-type plants produce an abundant yield of slender, round 5" long beans.
A strong growing plant, requiring little care.
The beans are easy to pick as they stand out against the foliage.
These beans are usually served whole.
Delightful steamed and perfect in Salad Nicoise.
Teseo Filet Bean
European French filet bean with round, pencil-slim very straight 5" pods with delectable flavour and elegant appearance.
Harvest the dark green pods when only about 0.6cm (1/4") in diameter for the best flavour.
Exquisitely tender with a delicate flavour and texture.
Upright, medium bush-type plants offer a long harvest window due to slow seed development.
White seeded.
Goldito Filet Bean
An early French filet bean variety that has the perfect size beans for preparing and serving without cutting.
The pods are 4 1/2 to 5 inches in length and capture the subtle buttery flavour of a wax bean.
The vigorous plants produce an abundance of pods evenly distributed throughout making them easy to pick by the handfuls.
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