Harvest snap beans (bush or pole) when the pods are firm and
crisp and the seeds inside are small and undeveloped. To avoid
pulling branches off the plant, hold the stem with one hand and
the pod with the other, and pull the pod. Pick every few days,
taking all the pods that are ready even if you can't use
them'pods left to mature signal plants to stop producing new
beans. To avoid spreading disease, never pick when the plants
are wet. Harvest filet beans, which are slender baby beans,
before the pods reach 1/4-inch in diameter; pick at least every
other day. For shell beans, pick when the seeds are full-sized
and plump, but the pods are still soft and have not yet started
to dry. Shell seeds from the pods by hand. For dry beans, leave
the pods on the plant until they're papery dry and the plant has
begun to die; then pull it up and allow pods to finish drying in
a sheltered spot'spread out on screens or hang up to dry. If the
weather is wet, it's better to pick the pods as they dry to
prevent them from getti