2016 Little Easy Bean Network - Gardeners Keeping Heirloom Beans From Extinction

[Blue-Jay]

The Big Bean Show - Day #19
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This is a bean called "Black Good Mother Stallards" The bean was sent to me this year by a woman by the name of Debbie Groat from Rodes, Michigan. She makes jewelery out of bean seed, and she does a beautiful job of it too. Her business is called Saverine Creek Heirlooms. She told me she found this bean among the red seeded bean called "Good Mother Stallard" in 2005. She said it must have been a mutation because it was stable right from the beginning. I grew just a little bit of this bean this summer but will grow it again in 2017.

"Black Good Mother Stallard"

 

[Blue-Jay]

The Big Bean Show - Day #20​

This is "Blooming Prairie". It is an orignal bean introduced and named by former Seed Saver Exchange member the late Robert Lobitz who lived in Paynesville, Minnesota. The plants are basically a bush, but throw of a little bit of a runner that do not seem to climb. Pods are beautiful glossy purple. In this years planting only one plant survived. The last time I grew them was 2012 and we had a terrifically hot dry summer. Seems everytime I plant this variety the enviornment seems to be against me. I will grow them again next year and perhaps it will be the magic year to get a real good crop of this seed.

"Blooming Prairie"
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[Ridgerunner]

I love that color.

 

[waretrop]

bluebird, The first ones are like cranberry beans or cranberry limas. I have grown them both.I dry them and love them.

 

[journey11]

The Big Bean Show - Day #20​

This is "Blooming Prairie". It is an orignal bean introduced and named by former Seed Saver Exchange member the late Robert Lobitz who lived in Paynesville, Minnesota. The plants are basically a bush, but throw of a little bit of a runner that do not seem to climb. Pods are beautiful glossy purple. In this years planting only one plant survived. The last time I grew them was 2012 and we had a terrifically hot dry summer. Seems everytime I plant this variety the enviornment seems to be against me. I will grow them again next year and perhaps it will be the magic year to get a real good crop of this seed.

View attachment 17011
"Blooming Prairie"
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I grew Blooming Prairie this year too. The whole plant was just beautiful. As with Scarlet Runners, I can totally see putting a few of these in my flowerbed. I have plenty if you need any extra and could tuck some in the package with my other returns.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Hi Journey11,

You don't need to send any of these. Right now I have enough from my one plant this year to plant several 20 foot rows of them. It's just a matter of time when I get the right season where they will grow well. I had them planted in a place where it was very dry this summer. It was only 11 miles from here but what a difference in the amount of rainfall. That's where I had Blooming Priairie growing this year. In fact about half of what I planted in this place never came up. Some of the varieties I scratched in the soil to find the seeds and they sprouted then cooked and dried up. Next year might be the magic year. I should have planted these in 2013. The place where I had beans growing that year just did incredibly well.

 

[journey11]

Yes, they were very productive, each plant. I have enough to cook a pot of beans.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Looks like we have someone new joining the conversations here. Hello @waretrop !
Nice to have you join us. Hope you will return often.

 

[Blue-Jay]

The Big Bean Show - Day #21​

This is "Blue Shaxamaxon" that I grew this year. A native American variety given to me by a Seneca man. Very productive pole bean. Pods turn very purple when seeds mature and pods begin to dry.

"Blue Shaxamaxon"

 

[waretrop]

Bluejay, Hi, Those beans look wonderful. I love all beans in the winter.