All types of beans grow well in St. Paul, Minnesota. So you can easily dry beans to store over the winter months. Beans that are left on the vine can be left there to dry. Once the beans are dry you can pick them but let the beans stay on the vine until the vine is brown and dead.
You should get the beans off of the vine before a hard freeze. If the bean pods are not completely dry when you pick them you can put them in a dry area and let them continue drying.
Once the bean pods are completely dried out you can split open the pod and pick out the beans. You may find that some of the beans are still moist and soft after you have taken them out of the dried pod. You can let these beans dry out more before you store them.
Once the beans are completely dried out you can store them in an air tight container for later use. You can harvest and store any type of bean to use later in soups, stews and other favorite recipes. Beans store well if they are dried out so be sure all moisture is out of the beans before you store them.
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