[Zone9b]

The photo is of my first harvest of Masai bush snap beans on 4/13. This is my first attempt at growing a true European bean. It is said that Masai is favored in European Restaurants for its low sieve size (1 to 1.5), flavor, tenderness and pod length. We found it tender if picked promptly. If left to pick as much as seven days, between picks, it gets a bit tough and requires longer to cook (in our case 8 minutes) but if picked promptly it takes as little as 2 minutes to cook them. Their color is medium green, so that makes them less attractive than a darker green bean. I read that because Masai bean pods are approximately 5” long, that restaurateurs usually do not cut them before cooking and placing them on a plate.
I grew Masai side by side with Cassidy bush snap beans, in the same raised bed. Masai is about half as productive as Cassidy. We have picked both 3 times and I expect to pick Masai 2 times more, although the last pick may be of less beans. Cassidy probably has 2 or 3 more picks left in it. Cassidy is a longer, and darker green bean and can also be picked at 1-2 sieve size. We find Cassidy’s taste to be easily as good as Masai, but it would appear to have a bit more fiber than Masai. This makes it necessary to cook Cassidy beans a bit longer than Masai but not much. Also, it is possible to leave Cassidy a couple of days longer in the garden, without picking, and it doesn’t make them appreciably tougher. Cassidy also seems to have a bit more crunch when you bite into it, not tough, but I bit of a crunch. As for a garden bean which is better really comes down to personal preferences, but as a market bean Cassidy would be superior because of its longer and darker green bean pods. Also, because I believe Cassidy to have more fiber, it would maintain its crisp look on the shelf longer than a low fiber bean like Masai, which would tend to wilt more.
I have a few more low sieve bean varieties to try in the fall. Who knows I may find a real winner?