How to Make and Cook Leather Britches (Dried Green Beans) in Appalachia 

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My mother was born duing the depression era and always strung them up and hung them on the porch, I string them and hang them from the rafters of my barn loft and they turn out just like mothers. I love them they're a constant reminder to me of my mother and the efforts she put into feeding the family.

I LOVE leather britches!!!! My granny always had them. Mom carried on the tradition. Some she dried on screens, the rest we strung whole. I don't have a garden, but buy a bushel every year and string them. I go thru the hull at the end. Lol

“Shuck Beans” and corn bread are my favorite😋. My grandmother dried the “Greasy Beans” to make her shuck beans. We would string them and would also lay them on a sheet under a sun lit window and wrap them up in a clean sheet at night and put them back in the sun until they were completely dry.

Most of my family was from southern West Virginia (Hinton and Dunns) and we call them leather britches as well. Everybody pitched in at harvest time. We would string and snap them in half before stringing with a single thread. My grandmother would hang them on the porch until they were mostly dry, then move them to a closet off the kitchen. I don't recall it mattering much whether it was through the bean and hull or just the hull, but that was over 50 years ago now. Thank you so much for sharing all these recipes in your videos; it feels like going home to a place I didn't think I'd get to see again.

My family always just canned the green beans in jars. A few yrs ago, I saw a video about leather britches. I made some with the needle and thread hanging to dry method. I will say they were quite edible. They were beautifully shelf stable. The entire process was simple and kinda fun. I must admit tho that the flavor and consistency wasn't really my favorite style of green beans. But as I said, they were fine and fit to eat. I imagine folks could get used to them and truly enjoy them. The old ways are almost always good ways.

We had these when I was young. We knew them as shuck beans. Our home place was the mountains of southeastern Kentucky. Thank you for your videos.

I grew up eating "Leather britches" when I was a kid in the mountains of Western North Carolina(57 yrs old now). My Grandma made "leather britches" when she was out of canning jars to can the beans. Was just another way to preserve the beans from the garden to eat later. Brought back good memories. Thank you for you channel. Love the recipes!!! Fried corn? Yep!!! Raised on that too!!!😁😀😊 God bless y'all!!!

My Gran would put food by in that way.. Leather britches , dried apples, apricots, and peppers of different types. Grandpa made the screen contraption which looked like a quilting frame, it would hang from the ceiling of the "drying house" ( I would sneak in and help myself to apples) he used a couple big fans and a propane heater to keep the room at a temperature to dry things out faster.

My momma used to make shuck beans every year, and she cooked them exactly like you do, Tipper! Mom was from Prestonsberg Kentucky. They are unique, and I may make some this year as there are forecasts of food shortages to come.❤

The day RU-vid invents some kind of "smell-o-vision" for videos we're all in trouble. These look so good!

Those are our favorite dish during the holidays. I have spent plenty of time with my mom stringing up leather britches. Wonderful memories. Leather britches are a tradition in our family.

I rarely comment on videos because I always watch them on my TV. I found your channel several months ago and just had to let you know how much I enjoy it. I have went back and watched most of your other videos. Can't wait until Friday for another chapter of Dorie. I also bought my first Cherokee purple tomato plant today because of your channel. You have a lovely family. Great job on your channel.

We call them shuck beans and my mom still dries a couple of messes so we can enjoy at Thanksgiving and Christmas. We love them ! I remember seeing them hanging from string in a small upstairs room at my grandma and grandpa’s house when I was about 6 or 7 years old. Mom and Dad would spread them on old window screens and put them outside during the day and take back them back inside before any dew would fall on them.That’s still how mom does it to this day. She is 84 years old and still grows her own garden. She dries beans, pickles beets and makes sure we have cushaw for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Love all your videos!! Thank you so much for making them and sharing them with us. They remind me of growing up in western West Virginia and eastern Kentucky. Many blessings to you and your family !

Oh My! one of my favorite foods ,with a hunk of corn bread and an onion. food fit for a king. a lot of memories stringing beans in the summer time.

I do this every year! Learned it from my great grandmother she was from eastern Ky. She strung hers. I do my on a screen in my attic and then put them in a pillow case in the freezer, they sure are good come thanksgiving and Christmas. I sure have been able to teach others about these precious leather britches!!!

I remember stringing and breaking green beans with my Mommy and Granny and then stringing them on a string so she could hang them up to dry! I always loved eating those leather britches when she cooked them for a long time! God bless and love to all! 💕🤗🙏🏻

I started dehydrating lots of fruits and vegetables a couple of years ago with an electric dehydrator and have been doing some dehydrating over my wood burning stove this winter and plan on trying to do some sun drying this summer. I keep it stored in vacuum sealed canning jars. I consider it to be part of my emergency food supply so I haven't really eaten very much of it yet and have been trying to figure out different ways of preparing it, and so far the best I've come up with has either been to grind it into a powder and make "smoothies" or just make a big ole pot of vegetable soup, so thanks for this video. From now on I will refer to my dehydrated green beans as "leather britches"!

Leather Briches are my absolute favorite way to eat beans. So very good! A totally different flavor than fresh green beans. I spent many evenings helping my granny string them. We would sit on the front porch and have such great chats as we strung. We would also do cranberry beans..and the white greasy beans. They are both great dried and cooked the same way.

my nanny used to make leather britches, she was from Pikeville, Ky. I learned from her how to string and cook them. Thanks for sharing . God Bless, Johnnie Roberts, Bryson City, NC

My Granny used to make dried beans when I was a kid in the 70s and 80s. I still remember that flavor. She used to string them in the guest bedroom in the fall of every year. I bet there were fifty or so strings of beans hanging in the room. I think I might try drying some this year to see if I can replicate it.

My favorite green beans. “Fodder beans” in my neck of the woods. My dad loved pickled green beans. Have you tried canning pickled beans? Pickled beans and corn to, those jars of food were so pretty, and delicious. Stored in cellar houses with a big ole tater bin in the back.

I've dried green beans in my dehydrator but I didn't take the string off and ended up with a mess when I went to cook them as I didn't take the string off then either. I'm excited to try again this year. Glad you are showing how you dry/cook them.🙂

Thank you so much for this! I moved to western NC over 30 years ago and heard about leather britches and greasy beans. I married a man from the area, but his mother just canned beans. So I never knew how to do this! Now I'm looking forward to trying this summer because there's nothing I hate more than canning beans!

My Mother In Law, from Wise Virginia, introduced me to shucky beans 53 years ago. You just showed me how to make them, a lot of trouble, but well worth it. The best green beans ever, thank you for sharing.

I read about them when I was a teen and strung them whole and put them in our attic. I remember the smokey flavor and liked them, but never happened to do them again. If I can grow green beans I will definately make them again in a dehydrater, just because the air isn't that great in the city now, it grew up around me!

Mammaw made them when I was a child. Haven't had them in a coon's age. I sttill remember the taste at 71. Made me homesick for Southwestern Virginia. Thanks for the memories.

SO THATS WHAT THOSE WERE!!! Had no idea what these were hanging up around in my great grandmothers side porch!! I remember eating cooked green beans at supper on the farm when I was a kid! They had bacon in them. Ahhhh… love memories when life was so simple… one of the privileges of youth I think❣️Thank you for this video! !♥️😘‼️☮️😍🥰sending lots of love , peace and health to you all♥️‼️🌟🕉

I had forgotten how to cook them. Once again Tipper I want to thank you for taking your time to educate or re-educate us. My grandma's and aunts made leather britches. God Bless you and your family.

I have only read about leather "breeches", I'm so glad to see the process. Might try this with the kids if we have a surplus of beans this summer. My grandpa who was from Western PA always made green beans and bacon for holidays, they were simmered all day. Great memories.

Bless you. My wife’s granny used to make these for her when she was young. I’ve been trying to find a good lesson on how to make them and you just answered my prayers. I’m so excited to make her a batch now. ❤️🙏’s

What a coincidence! I was just talking today about the possibility of drying the beans this year. I didn’t even know it was actually a ‘thing’. Glad to have the advice! Many thanks for another charming and educational video. Hugs to all as ever x

My mama's preferred way was to also can the green beans. We had a smokehouse with a cellar underneath that was always cold, even in the summer. Daddy had built shelves all around the cellar & that's where mama kept the canned foods. Daddy kept salt-cured ham & other cured meat in the smokehouse. I so miss those days. Never worried about what to eat. I never thought that at 63 I would be wishing for times like it used to be. Being disabled doesn't help either. Tipper, always enjoy your videos! Blessings from VA! 🙏💗

Never seen this before! Thank you for introducing this American classic to we who had not heard of them. Canning was way I knew about from the mid-century farm of my aunt.

you are a national treasure... i dont have any parents or grandparents... so it warms my heart to learn from you and your family ❤

Yes, my Gran used to to sting these up. She called them shuck beans. She also canned them too. That dinner looks very tasty!

Thanks for the video on "Leather Britches". I grew up with them being called Shucky Beans. After my family moved to Florida Shucky Beans became very hard to find. We depended on visiting family to bring us a mess of them. My older brother that still lived in Ky. would try to bring us some down with them if they could get them. That usually meant a trip to Eastern Ky to relatives to get some. My dad loved Shucky Beans and after having them a few times us kids all loved them too! My Grandmother use to string them up and hang them on her front porch. I remember visiting her and seeing them hanging there. Dad would always try to get some to cook on Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. As long as he could have them then he was ok. He hated doing without, and it was always a great time when one of my brothers would go to their suitcase and bring out a big bag of Shucky Beans. Always a happy time for my dad, God rest his soul. I don't get them any more living in Florida with my parents both passed. No one comes down to visit anymore since they have been gone. But I still make the occasional trip to Lexington to see my brothers. Thanks again for your posts, they really bring back such great memories of better days. God Bless!

My ex’s aunt used to make these…She called them “hillbilly beans” though. She put in the salt pork but also potatoes and some tomatoes as well. I loved them and even I’ll even do fresh green beans in this manner.

My grandpa would add little red potatoes to those when they were about 30 minutes from being done and lots of pepper with a big pan of corn bread, that has been my favorite meal since I was a little bitty kid. I remember eating them when I was around 4 years old (I'm 38 now).

My Granny always had green beans drying on her porch when I was a kid. I miss her...and her cooking ;)

You showed the cooked Leather Britches and I had a flood of memories & had to wipe the corner of my mouth. That is a special taste that can not be replicated.

I’m so glad you did this video. When I was a young child my mom strung green beans on string to dry on our back porch. Sadly, I never saw or remember seeing how she cooked them. She stopped canning and drying garden vegetables when I was old enough to really learn. I had to learn to water bath can on my own, but I hadn’t learned about cooking dried green beans till now. Since I don’t pressure can yet, I only froze my green beans from my garden. Now I feel like I have another option to preserve my green beans. Thank you!

Hello, Mrs. Pressley! What a lovely mess of beans! I grew up on Leather Britches. My maternal grandparents used the string method and my great aunt, that I spent part of growing up years with, liked to put them betwixt two screens and stick them in the loft. My favorite part is to soak cornbread crumb in the bean likker.

My mother and grandmother would always dry a mess or two of folder beans. We also preserved pickled beans as well as pickled corn. They were family favorites. Usually we make sure to have when my mother's family would be coming for a visit as most of her bothers and sisters did not do a lot of preserving. Happy memories.

I made leather britches last summer - 30 years since I'd made them. Made enough for family and a few friends - all said they couldn't believe how good they were. Gramaw taught me how to make them back in the holler, just stringin' 'em up up on thread and hanging 'em up on the front porch. Personally, I'm a middle bean threader 🙂

It has been years since I have eaten leather britches. My late mother in law who lived her whole life in West Virginia dried some every summer and she would wait til I came in to cook them so I could enjoy them. Brings back so many fond memories. Thanks for my stroll down memory lane. May you and your family be Blessed. Your family is precious. Love your shows.

I ate them back in Tennessee 1950's at a church out-side Sunday dinner shared for all...loved 'em Great Memories!

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.!!!!!!!

My grandma used to take the method of needle and thread. I absolutely loved them, and she always called them chuck beans. What wonderful memories. When trying to research this I found you. And that was a Blessing because I'm preparing them today.

There were no leather britches where I grew up, but green beans were very common, and I learned to love them, both fresh and canned, from an early age. It would be a treat to sample your leather britches.

My mom made leather britches when I was around my teenage years. I never developed a taste for them but she loved them.

I had never heard of leather britches before meeting my good friend from Michell county NC. I absolutely love these tasty beans. I wish I had known about them sooner!! Thanks Tipper for showing how to string the green beans. I learned something new today!

My grandmother called them string beans, that brought back alot of memories

A friend of mine always talked about Clemmer beans. They were brought here from Germany, and prepared this way, by his great grandfather Clemmer. I'll have to send him this video.

Thank you for that video Tipper. You are a wonderful cook. I can just taste those shucky beans. When my mom would dry them she broke them once and strung them up. Several of the neighbor woman (a lot of them relatives) would help and when they done their beans we would go help them. We worked out on the porch and just talked all day. We didn’t have air conditioners then. I mailed you a package today. You should get it Monday.

You took me back home again. Thank you for the memories.

String up beans or peppers is PURE THERAPY!!!!!!!!!🍄🍄🍒💕🌺🌺🍒🍄

When I was young I used to string beans for my aunt. She would wash and break off the string and towel dry them. And as a way to teach me how to sew she would have me sew long strings and she would hang them on the porch ceiling.She would brag on me and tell me what a good job I had done. After they dried, she a big crock jar that she stored them in. As I remember the bean were almost yellow. That's why they were dried. To shorten the story, I have to say I love leather britches.

I am from southern WV and we called them leather britches too. We'd take the last of the crop before the first frost and pull up the whole plant. Shake off the dirt from the roots, turn it upside down and hang it. On a covered porch, shed or barn rafters. Pull off the dried beans a bush at a time or pick off the beans and store in covered baskets. We'd cook them just as you did. Yum, yum with cornbread.

The first time I saw leather britches was on one of your blog posts years ago. I have been fascinated over them ever since. Each year I think I will buy some green beans in season at the store, and string some to make britches, but each year other things in my life get my attention instead. When you were showing the pot liquor in this video, my thought was “I bet that liquid would be good to freeze, then use as a vegetable broth in a variety of different recipes, soups, casseroles, etc”. My imagination can go wild thinking about a mother stringing green beans in years past, while her kids run around the yard, going into the house occasionally, slamming the screen door as they do, and her yelling orders as they go past. Maybe she is sitting on the porch while a summer thunderstorm is rolling off in the distance. I love the old food preservation techniques. It brings the past to today, and gives me that comfortable home feeling. There are times I miss my big city San Diego life. But there are many more times than those that I am very happy to be here in the south, in a quiet place, repeating the same ways of homemaking that generations of ladies did before me. Thank you, Tipper, for a wonderfully informative cooking video! Donna. :)

I remember the porch being full of strung beans and peppers when I was a teenager. I liked both. We also dried venison for jerky. I wondered if anyone still did this kind of thing.

It amazes me how much of what I think of as just normal food is actually Appalachian fare .....hadnt thought about it till now but when I leave the mountains for trips and such I cant find alot of what I grew up on and still cook for me and my family to this day .......happy to know this way of life will carry on through my kids....... Really enjoy this page!

Any kind of food preservation, in these uncertain times is a good thing. They look delicious.

I haven't made leather britches yet. My grandmother's usually can them, so that's what I'm used to doing. But I'd love to do it this way sometime!! ❤

Tipper I love leather britches!! But I didn’t grow up with them. My mom had never heard of them in KY she said. I ate them at my husbands grandmas house here in NC. She taught me how to dry and cook them. She was a wonderful country cook. I have dried them on a string like you did only once. I intend to do them again this summer. You have brought back so many of the old food ways and increased my interest in them again. Thank you so much for your program. I love it!!

Tipper, you are a great teacher. I had never heard fried green beans until now. Thank you for keeping the old ways alive.

Old but still valid means of putting food by. Thank you for this one, Tipper.

My mother dried them on a clean sheet in the sun. She put them out every morning and brought them back in every night. She dried peaches, pears and apples the same way.

This sure brings back a lot of fine memories from my childhood. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the lovely videos! I am pretty sure I have eaten them but never seen them strung up to dry. Also appreciate the pork comments too as a lot of people do not realize that so many things can be flavored by adding a little salt pork! Yummy all the way around!

Tipper, My grandma made leather britches and she strung them just as you did. Your videos have brought back so many wonderful memories from my childhood. Thank you so much. Jeri Whittaker 3/30/2022 Near Athens, Ga.

My mom makes the best dilly beans and at the end of the jar the garlic cloves are wonderful as well. Thank you for sharing.

Grandpa and Grandma on both sides talked about everybody had leather britches hanging on there porches years ago. Thank you for sharing ❤

There’s an old fiddle tune named “Leather Britches” and when learning this song for the first time looked into what leather britches are. This led to making them for ourselves and what an exciting way to relive and preserve our history and food! Great video with very clear descriptions!

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.

Thank you for this, very interesting

I'm from the hills of Kentucky I put up shuck beans every year I hang up on the porch to dry I love them

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!

Just before my dad died he said he would like to have a batch. He had not had any since he was living at home in his early teens. I strung them up, dried them and cooked them for him as per his instructions. They were pretty good. I'm glad I found this because I want to dry some this year.

Yummm on the leather britches and the rest of the meal. Thanks once again for letting us into your wonderful life!

I've heard of leather britches on occasion but have never seen or eaten them. I would love to try them. When I first heard of stringing leather britches, I could not imagine was was being talked about. Some of the old ways of doing things were very interesting and quite a smart way to do things!

We always had shucked beans, shucky beans , leather breeches in the spring. With pickled beets and onion. We saved the beet juice for pickled eggs

I don't remember ever eating Shuck Beans but I will definitely be doing some up this year. Thank you for sharing the whole process. I appreciate seeing this wonderful method.

I really want to taste them! They look delicious. I guess I'll have to string some this summer if I'm ever going to find out 😋

I remember my grandmother fixing green beans that looked like these and they tasted like how you described but I never saw her hanging and drying them and I never heard her or anybody in my family call them leather britches. They were delicious and a favorite of mine. Now I know how she got that unique flavor. Great video, Tipper.

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

Thanks Tipper, ive never eaten leather britches but of course heard of them growing up in the south, I dry food in baskets lined up in rows on a wooden clothes dryer/ now going to dry me some leather britches that way, I love how you gather /grow and cook what heavens earth provides direct and fresh off the land/love it!

Quite a while ago I was invited for dinner at a new friend's home. She served leather britches and I loved them. Thank you for the recipe!

I grew up in Ky. My mother made leather britches Some on a screen and some on strings. This brought back memories. I could almost smell them cooking Thank you.

Have eaten many meals of leather britches, potatoes and corn bread....leather britches was my dad's favorite....thanks tipper....God bless...🙏❤

looks so good, I remember eating them before everyone took to canning them.

I dry green beans in a dehydrator in the summer, but I blanch them in boiling water first.

I dry mine on racks made of chicken wire and lightweight wood frames and after about 2 weeks drying I put them in gallon Ziploc baggies and leave the bags open for another 2 weeks before I seal them up. Come spring I'll take one of those gallon Ziplocs and have seeds for that years garden.

My grandmother did and use to help her,we strung them and she hung in her back room,I always loved helping her string and pull off,I lived them back then,I dried some cooking them tomorrow, praying I still like them,also my husband has never heard of them so hopefully he'll like them to,thank you for sharing Hod bless

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.

These are the best. My mamaw grew, dried and cooked her beans in a pressure cooker ( I was afraid of it!). I would sit on the front porch and help her string them on fishing line. I sure miss those days..even after all these years. Mamaw was from Greasy Creek, Ky.

Here on the farm they were always canned and in more recent years frozen too. Never heard of them before but I sure am intrigued by leather britches, especially the smokey flavor. Im definately going to try this when my green beans start coming in. I remember as a child my grandparents and even my great grandmothers who were from Europe had said back in the old days they either dehydrated or pickled everything to preserve it.

Those beans look so good! My stepmother always raised and canned half runners and they were delicious and your beans reminded me of hers. How I would love to have a big plateful right now with cornbread and a big piece of onion. I haven't had good beans like that since she passed away. She cooked just like you do, good country dinners. She was raised in Kentucky and always did old time recipes.

This is a first for me learning about drying green beans and cooking them. I do love green beans though. I cook for one and I buy frozen cut green beans wrap a serving in foil with a dash of salt and sprinkle with olive oil then bake 20 minutes or so and I think that is very tasty and little or no clean up. If you keep posting I will continue to drop by.🥰

I dried some leather britches beans a couple years ago. Lost them , found them the other day where I had stored them in an oatmeal box. Now to cook them. Thanks.