Yes, they are still edible. You can boil and eat them before they dry out, adding a little butter and salt. This is what is called "shell beans." But, if they are well filled out, you can spread them out on some paper and dry them the rest of the way. They should turn black.

It's best to leave dry beans on the vine until they are.., uh,... dry!

Been there and done that!

George
Tahlequah, OK

obli7vion,
in our humid climate, i have often harvested my beans early and finish them on drying screens. Once the pod is yellowed. loose, and leathery seems to work fine. I have had good germination from many beans done that way. Sometimes it gets so wet here that drying beans on the vine begin to sprout inside the pod - or get moldy and discolored.
As long as they are developed fully and show some of their color.
Glad

I'd go for shelling and drying the shellies (single layer) on screens or newspapers. Point a fan on them. Now and then (like once a day), run your fingers through the seeds moving them around to get them exposed to the air all around.

I picked my drying beans too early because of frost warning. Now when my beans are drying they are shriveling up...is this ok? Thanks!

Wow, you must be way north to get frost so early. It's still 80 F. degrees in Wisconsin.

Are you referring to the pods drying, or were the beans shelled out? The pods should shrivel as they dry. The beans themselves should shrink, but not shrivel... unless they were immature when harvested. Even in that case, the beans will still be usable. I pick all of my remaining beans before frost, and shell out the fattest pods for use as shellies.

I've picked beans too early because of frost warning and regretted it. Some were filled out enough to be viable as seed, but many of the beans inside the pods were just too small and would never germinate.

It might have been better to leave at least some of them on the vine until the vine actually dies, like after frost and right up until snowfall. Once I left some volunteer bean vines out all winter, and the next spring, was able to open the dried pods and take out good dried beans to plant.

My black and pinto have had frost. what do i do with greens ones and wet ones?

Green pods which were frozen will look wet. I don't think there's anything you can do with those. Pods which were drying down may still be okay. I'd pick them and lay them out on a tray, in a dry place where they won't get frozen. Then shell them out from the pods once dry.