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Dry Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) The common bean was first domesticated about six thousand years ago by the people of On a very small scale dry bean pods can be shelled by hand. At our farm however I use a threshing box to cut down of the labour involved. Another simple threshing method is to use a bag (burlap or perhaps an old pillow case), fill it with the dry pods and flail it until the pods have broken. The contents of the bag can then be poured out and the chaff can be winnowed away. Being legumes they fix nitrogen from the air and enrich the soil for future crops, making them a valuable part of your crop rotation. They tolerate poor soil but like almost all plants do better on soil enriched with compost and manure. On a per acre or per square-foot basis, dry beans are one of the best source of protein I can think of, which makes them perfect for those aiming towards a more self-sufficient diet. Bean flowers are self fertile and crosses between varieties are rare so beans are one of the easiest plants to save seed from. Packets cost $3.00 each and contain 60-100 seeds or 30 grams, unless otherwise noted. Bush: (New) Tiger’s Eye - Also known as Pepa de Zapallo. There are some beautifully coloured beans out there... but this one must rank right up near the top! The large kidney-shaped beans are a rich golden colour with maroon swirls. They always elicit excited comments from visitors at the farm! Productive and tasty as either a shelling bean or a dry bean. Originally from South America. (New) Magpie - Magpie lives up to it’s avian namesake with beautiful black and white seeds. They look as if one side of the bean has been splashed with black paint. Originally from France, and brought to North America in the early 1900’s. Makes a great snap bean also. (New) Dapple Grey - A pretty bi-coloured dry bean. One side of the round bean is white while the other is a beautiful speckled grey. (New) Blooming Prairie - One of the most beautiful dry beans I’ve grown. The medium sized round seeds are purple on one side, gradually fading to a cream white on the other. Extremely rare, we may currently be the only commercial source for this great bean. (New) Ram’s Horn - A rare variety with medium-sized grey and brown striped beans. The very productive plants send out a few short climbers but don’t require staking. (New) Marico - A very interesting heirloom from Marico province in South Africa. The beans are roughly equal parts black and white, they look a lot like a Jacob’s Cattle bean but with black instead of maroon. (New) Uncle Willie’s - A rare bush variety with large kidney-shaped cream and maroon striped beans. (New) Gold Jacob’s Cattle - A gold and white coloured strain of the classic Jacob’s Cattle bean. Equal amounts of gold and white on each side of the bean, with lots of speckling where the colours meet. (New) Lakeville Jacob’s Cattle - Another variation of Jacob’s Cattle, this one having been grown and selected for over 80 years by the Alders and Rockwell families in Lakeville, NS. It looks totally unlike the standard bi-coloured Jacob’s Cattle, these beans are evenly covered in speckles of maroon, reddish-brown and tan shades. A beautiful and rare NS heirloom. (New) Black Good Mother Stallard - Grown for over a century by the Stallard family, these beans were given to me by Debbie Groat of Saverine Creek Heirlooms in Michigan. This beautiful black strain was stabilized by Debbie from the original red strain. Black with swirls and speckles of white all over. Aztec Red Kidney - Large, deep brick red kidney beans are some of the largest dry beans I’ve grown. A productive yielder on bush plants. Amish Gnuttle - These pretty, slightly block-shaped small beans are speckled grey and maroon. The plants send out a few short runners and staking is optional. Very high yielding, it’s one of our most productive dry beans. Candy - Very large red and white seeds that look a bit like peppermint candies. High yielding bush plants which send out a few runners. 40 seeds per packet Ruckle - Large white kidney beans are produced heavily and up off the ground on sturdy bush plants. This variety was selected for over many years by Henry and Gwen Ruckle. The Ruckles were one of the first pioneering families to settle Salt Spring Island, BC, in 1874. Their former homestead now forms Ruckle Provincial Park. Anasazi - Two-toned white and maroon beans. This variety is said to have been Black Coco - The large, round, shiny black seeds are rich tasting and make amazing black bean soup. Black Turtle - Among our heaviest yielding dry beans. Black Turtle has short, sprawling vines (no staking required) which bear loads of the small black beans. Limelight - A tasty shelling bean with light green to white seeds. Developed in Alberta at the Lethbridge Research Station and released in 1968, it was intended to be a northern climate alternative to Lima Beans. Good as a fresh shelling bean or dry. Papa de Rola - Always one of my highest yielding dry beans. A rare Portuguese heirloom with beautiful mauve, grey and white seeds. Climbs to 3 feet. Low’s Champion - Deep red, round beans which resemble plump cranberries! Excellent as a dry bean or as a shelling bean. First introduced by the Aaron Low Seed Company of Essex, Massachusetts in the 1880’s. Agate Pinto - Large, block shaped and slightly flattened pinto beans. Very productive bush plants with some short runners. Mrociumere - The speckled purple seeds of this variety are some of the most beautiful I’ve seen. Productive bush plants. A rare heirloom variety from Kenya. Tanya’s Pink Pod - An interesting pink sport of Sequoia that was introduced by Dan Jason of Salt Spring Seeds. An apprentice named Tanya discovered the original sport while working in Dan's garden on Salt Spring Island, BC. Also a great snap bean. Kenearly - A yellow-eye type bush bean developed at the Agriculture Canada Station at Kentville. Perfect for baked beans. Nez Perce - Smallish yellow-orange seeds are produced early and in large quantities on bush plants. Originally from the Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho. One of our best and most dependable dry beans. Ireland Creek Annie - Another very early and dependable bush bean. This bean was named after Ireland Creek Farm in BC’s Fraser Valley, where it has been grown since the 1930’s. Rhodenizer - Round white beans produced on bush plants. Perfect for making baked beans. Serene - High yields, early maturity, beautiful purply splotched seeds...this is one serene bean! Orca - An early, prolific bush bean. The black and white colours make it look just like an orca whale. Pole: (New) Cherokee Trail of Tears - An historic pole bean that was carried by the Cherokee people during their forced relocation from North Carolina to Oklahoma. Shiny black seeds inside dark purple pods are produced in great abundance on the vigourous vines. Good as either a dry bean or as a snap bean when young. (New) Grandma Nellie’s Yellow Mushroom - Here’s an interesting bean. Grown in Saskatchewan for several decades by Nellie Chernoff who first acquired them from a gardener in Russia in the 1950’s. The prolific vines produce lots of meaty yellow pods, which when cooked have a taste some people say is similar to mushrooms. The large brown seeds are also good dry or as shelling beans. Flagg - A very old Iroquois variety with amazing black and white streaked seeds. Named after Gail Flagg of Maine who helped rescue this bean from obscurity. Early maturing and well adapted to northern growing conditions. Mostoller Wild Goose - A very attractive white and beige/maroon speckled bean. Dates back to at least 1865 when these beans were found in the crop of a Canada goose shot by the Mostoller Family of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Mostoller saved the seeds and planted them the next Spring. The goose must have eaten the seeds nearby before its ill-fated flight over the Mostoller homestead, meaning these could be much older still. 4-5 foot vines
Bird’s Egg - A great pole bean with egg-shaped, purple-speckled seeds. Developed in 1825 in England. True Red Cranberry – An old heirloom from Maine, this pole bean is a dependable producer of large, round seeds of the deepest dark red you can imagine. Traditionally the bean which fed the huge crews of woodsmen in the wilds of New England, it was rediscovered by John Withee being grown on a farm in Steep Falls, ME. Today it’s even listed in the Slow Food Ark of Taste. |
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