How to Make and Cook Leather Britches (Dried Green Beans) in Appalachia
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Watch this video to see how I made leather britches last summer and cooked up a big pot of them for us to eat last week. Please …
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We always used white half runners for our shucky beans. Sometimes add some potatoes with them. Cornbread and green beans and some green onions! I was born and raised in northern Indiana. First generation hoobilly. 😁 Both my parents were from the mountains of Kentucky. I ate most all the foods you cook. My favorite was either my momma’s chicken and dumplings or either one of my grandma’s. I miss those meals. That was long ago. My wife (38 yrs.) who is a Hoosier can’t cook southern food very well but she is still a good cook just not southern. I do feel at home in the mountains unlike all the corn and soybean fields.
I ate them back in Tennessee 1950's at a church out-side Sunday dinner shared for all…loved 'em Great Memories!
Growing up we had leather britches. However when the beans came in there was so many we froze most of them and all we could as dried. My dad go some used screen doors and used them the out the broken beans on to dry. Thanks for the memories! I plan to do some this year just for sentimental reasons. I like them ok but rather have fresh, canned, or frozen.
I grew up in the Tidewater region of Virginia but my father was from the southern coal fields of West Virginia. When I was young his grandmother sent him a box of leather britches and at some point the postman thought there could possibly be a rattlesnake in there because every time he picked up the box it would rattle haha. My father thought that was hilarious. They sure were tasty and we also got a jar of homemade sorghum 😋
I remember my Mamaw dried her beans on a table cloth outside. They called them shuck beans and they were delicious. Have you shared a video of how you cook deer meat ?
The women in my past generations did this. Have recently tried it myself.
You're the best! I really appreciate that you encourage chatting in the comments. I learn so much from you as well as fellow viewers. I wonder what beans you like to grow. I grew "cave beans" last year, marbled white and maroon. I want to try a regular green one this year.
My grandfather was born in 1905, I remember hearing him talk about his mother preserving and cooking "leather britches" I dehydrated some myself and we loved them. I was wondering if the variety of green beans was important, back then they mostly grew the old timey garden bean, similar to the mountaineer half runner, I like the Jade Bush bean myself and this year I hope to plant some Cherokee Yellow Wax beans and was wondering if they would work, I also have some greasy beans which I know would be great for that too. I enjoy your videos too, I love the old ways of the past. Thanks
Brandon
Wow, I havent seen or heard of leather britches since my great granny in turtle town tn not far from you use to make them. Thank you for the blast from the past… I love your channel, you talk about stuff that I thought only my family did like decoration. I'm from copper hill tn but my dad's family is all from murphy, candy mountain road or hiwasssee dam area.
My mother-in-law use to fix leather britches all the time!! I grew to really enjoy them just as much as the green beans fixed the traditional way!! I really miss her and the wonderful cooking she use to do. Maybe if we have an abundance of green beans this year I told my husband that I would like to give them a try. Thank you for the know how info.!!!!!!!
Glad for the heads-up on the long cooking time! If I get lots of beans this year I'll try this method, in fact I may try drying lots of things as I think my freezer may be on it's last legs,
Have to give these a try
that cornbread looks so good with the leather britches 💯❤️
I always thought leather britches were a Native American thing. I've seen them in newer Cherokee recipe books, and also up here at the local living history museum that has a Potawatomi.long house, where they have the beans hanging up to dry alsongside the squash and corn from a 3 sisters garden. I'd love to hear more about the Native history of Appalachia.
Leather britches beans and sow belly… A line from a folk song. Now I know what they meant!
Remember them as a child. On a string. And on a screen fodder beans. 86 and a half now .Good ol memories..My mom was a hard worker.was a deppresion kid. Still don’t waste anything. Like your channel very much. Keeps memories alive
Thank you Tipper. I would like just relaxing and stringing the beans. Love the recipes you and your family share. Take care.
Grandpa and Grandma on both sides talked about everybody had leather britches hanging on there porches years ago. Thank you for sharing ❤
My mammaw used to always have strings of shuckybeans near the woodstove she used daily. I dont remember eating any of the shuckybeans but always having greenbeans for lunch and dinner. We would also have greens of some type and cornbread with the beans. My family grewup in virginia near cumberland gap. I was mostly raised in kalamazoo michigan but spent 2 weeks each year at mammaws and pappaws.
I so wanted to come round and help me a plate of that beautiful meal.
Can I please come live in y'all's back yard?
I'm 72, when i was wee little mother and me would sit on the back porch and string leather britches, hang them up on the back porch. We strung them through the middle of the bean. We strung hot peppers the same way. I loved them when I was little, but it's been many years since I've had them. Most of our canning jars were used for corn and sausage and tomatoes, and some green beans, beets, crout. Mother cooked them the same way.
Will try this.
Never heard of these! Thanks Miss Tipper.
Last summer a friend found some dried for my dad and I we had them for Christmas I haven't had them in yrs since I was probably 12 or 13 in 41 now they where so good we called them shucky beans my grandpa would grown them and I help string them also it was fun time
Thanks Tipper. I used to love the All Day Singings at the little country churches that my daddy would pastor. The ladies would bring all sorts of food and some of them would bring leather britches. Those were the best beans! I'll have to dry some green beans this year. I usually can my beans but it looks like there might be another jar shortage this year so leather britches seems like the best option for beans. I first string them like you do but I snap them and use my dehydrator. I don't think the taste is quite as good as air drying but they're still delicious. When I air dry them I lay them out in the sun on a screen covered with a sheet over 2 chairs and bring them in at night. Much Love
I love dried beans i also call them shuck beans i cook them around the holidays Christmas mostly i put ham hocks in mine i love them anyway there cooked and I love to smell them cooking 🥣
Tipper, ever since I was little in NE Tennessee, we got what we called "yeller 'maters" which were really more of an orangeish rather than a true yellow. They were lower in acid than red tomatoes and were a true beefsteak variety with huge fruit. In fact, 2 slices of salt risen bread, some mayo, and salt with one thick slice of tomato was enough to knock the edge off of any hungry you might have. Do you have any idea what these tomatoes' real name might be? I'm going to get some 5 gallon buckets and try to raise some along with some green onions and probably some flat Italian bush beans this Summer. I really need to eat better and only by growing my own can I really get that flavor and quality that my body's been craving for so long. Thanks in advance! Oh, and by the way, the only reliable seed source that I know of is Burpee so if you have different commercial sources I'd really appreciate knowing their names! Hugs to you and yours, and may God continue to bless us all!
Edit: Come to think of it, with growing season starting down there a video highlighting your seed sources might be a good idea for those of us just starting to grow our own!
Thanks for the heads up about the taste. My 48 yo son HATES green beans so I’m going to dry some this year and see if he will eat those. Anything to expand his veg list. Btw, I’ve heard them called shucky beans.
Thank you so much for sharing this. Great memories with my Dad fixing Leather Britches.. I was the helper when stringing up the beans. We hung ours on the porch and they were awesome. One thing I never learned how to do was to cook them. My dad always cooked them and delivered a serving or two to my house as a treat. Seeing you video now I know how to cook them, I have some stored away in a mason jar so I think I might have to open and try them with the salt pork. Your meal looked so delicious and I am sure it was.. C from Kentucky
This video brought back GREAT memories , I had a Aunt who cooked these , I LOVED them, as a child when I visited her all i wanted was the beans, cornbread and potlicker with a slice of onion and tomato, Thank you for this video.
I remember visiting my grand parents farm and seeing the leather britches hanging across the ceilings of their large screened in porch where their well was. That was also were they kept their crocks of sauerkraut and sulfured apples.
There’s something I’m very curious about… Why do you not fry the salt back before putting it in with the beans?
I always think leather britches taste like they have been steeped in strong tea. The 1st time I tasted them at my mamaw's house I asked her what was wrong with them. I successfully evaded the flyswatter she was swinging at me.
I apologize if I missed this in the video, but what type of string would be best to use?
Back in the day when my family was bootleggers (which may or may not be a thing depending on which government agency is paying attention) and we had a little smokehouse we would often times process Wild hogs that we might have seen messing with our chickens, and I can remember many a time where my great grandad had to carry a pot of beans to sit on the still to cook over the fire when the alcohol was burning, sometimes it was this, sometimes it was traditional beans (navy or great northern) but we always included parts of the wild hog we processed.
Could have been some fatback, could have been some belly, could have been ham hocks…didn’t matter it all tasted pretty good because of the slow simmering times. I know the couple of times we had turkeys we might use Turkey tails or necks instead. But that stuff in the smokehouse was always good eats, especially if you could get a ham done in those. A lot of those wild boar ate acorns and it made them sweet as all hell.
Anyway thanks for bringing up memories
I love these! My mother used to string white half runners and so did my wife and I. It's been a few years since we had these but plan on raising some runners this year. Delicious with new potatoes and/or sliced tomatoes!