If you ever need a productive Autumn cropper, Lablab Bean (Lablab purpurea, Hyacinth bean) is excellent. The bean is high protein and full of nutrients, just a bit coarse and containing a toxin that requires good cooking, like stews and curries. Leaves and flowers are edible and nutritious as well. Prepare green lablab beans like old fashioned string beans. Top and tail and remove the strings then chop. The vine is strong and vigorous with purple flowers held high in panicles. Sometimes the beans have purple tips or completely purple as well. Allowed to dry, the beans need to be soaked overnight and cooked thoroughly but can also be used for tofu and tempeh.
The harvest in the picture is about one eighth of the beans currently on a single vine.
Druce Batstone – They are also good as shelling beans. When they get too old to eat as the whole bean as Mark advised, shell them and use the green beans inside as you would for dry beans. Cooking time is only about 15 to 20 minutes. No need to soak overnight. Look for recipes for shell or shelly beans. My vines are in their second year.
Brisbane Edible Gardening 