From the photo it doesn't look like bean rust to me, more like insect damage such as bean weevils. No I wouldn't eat them either way. We ingest enough bugs and fungus by accident each year without doing it intentionally. :)

Dave

Thanks - most of the wax beans aren't big enough to save seed, but for the ones that are, is it OK to save the seed from these spotty ones?

I also have Tendergreen I want to eat as shellies tonight, those just have striped/mottled pods which I assume is normal - but discard the really yellow ones? Or is this fungus too (and would it affect the beans/seed)? After a really dry September when the beans were just drying up, we've had a lot of rain this month.

The Blue Lake don't look bad, some streaks not spots, I have a post on Seed Saving asking about saving those for seed since they're not dry.

The first pic is insect damage, just break off if you don't like the look. 2nd pic is rust, too much water or wet when picking/handling. The yellow one might be usable for seed. I wouldn't sell rusty beans, or haven't eaten them. I always had too many to worry about a few rusty ones.

If it is weevils then they are in the seeds inside the pods too so won't be viable for germination. Striped or mottled pods isn't normal for Tendergreen beans. They are diseased. I wouldn't eat or bother to save any of the beans in your picture.

Dave

Oops, we shelled the Tendergreens that were more yellowish, ate them last night though they turned olive drab when cooked (some were speckled purple though most were green).

I'll compost the rest, will sort through and see if any of the wax beans look OK, will post pix to see if seeds are OK. DD shelled 1 last night by mistake, the seeds were black as expected but that pod was streaked, no good for seed?

well, they were viable! I had rinsed and drained the beans separately, the very mature spotted/dark ones from the green seeds, and placed the colander on top of some dirty dishes in the dish pan while rinsing the next colander. I guess a bean seed dropped down into the dishpan or sink, I dumped the water out after washing the dishes Sat night and usually leave the pan on edge so the sink dries out but DH put the pan back down and put the egg beater in it Sunday AM, I just went to wash that and a Tupperware container, found a bean plant had sprouted and was already a couple inches tall under the pan! Roots growing down into the sink strainer (other side has the disposal)!

In my mind those are pretty minor blemishes, I would certainly eat them especially if I was going to cook them, not sure about preserving them or using them for seed.

We waste enough food in our culture as it is.

a few spots wouldn't bother me, but bugs have a big ick- factor.
have to research protein, vitamins in plant diseases ;0)
this is from iowa state:
by Christine Engelbrecht, Plant Pathology

I frequently give talks to gardeners, and pictures of deformed squash infected with a virus are some of my favorite shots to share. Inevitably, someone asks, "Could I catch the virus that made that plant sick?"

In most cases, the answer is no. The fungi, bacteria, viruses, and nematodes that cause disease in plants are very different from those that cause disease in humans and other animals. Eating or touching an infected plant would not infect us with the same pathogen that is making the plant sick.

However, produce from sick plants often has a flavor or texture very different from healthy produce, so eating it may not be desirable anyway. Unless the disease is merely a superficial spot (such as sooty blotch and flyspeck on an apple), it may be best to avoid diseased produce.
read the whole article here-
http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2007/4-11/sick.html

Hey guys, my yellow beans were going so well. Ate loads, perfect. But after some heavy rain alot are now like this. Brown watery looking marks. What is it. Can they still be cooked/eaten