Cutting dates affect cooking quality of dark red kidney beans

Neither yield nor seed size increases when Dark Red Kidney beans are cut after the average moisture content has reached 50%, according to this report of Davis tests. Susceptibility to mechanical damage and to splitting in the canned product continues to increase in beans cut after they have reached 50% moisture. Other advantages to earlier cutting include earlier marketing possibilities, more leaves to buffer seed damage during threshing, and higher quality beans.