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

[Ridgerunner]

Lots of people do things like that. Nothing wrong with it.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

If the brown one ever throws a tan version, you could go with Alderney. Or a pure brown version, Salers.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Alderney or Salers are always possiblities for names I suppose.

 

[Blue-Jay]

The Big Bean Show - Day #48​

I got this native American bean from a fellow from Kentucky called "Iroquois Cornbread". Looks just like another Iroquois bean I got from a Seneca fellow called "Skaroora Bread". Both of them are climbing beans. I wonder if they might be the same bean. Will grow them both again in 2017.


"Iroquois Cornbread.............................................."Skaroora Bread"

In 2013 I found one plant with a very long vine in a Robert Lobitz semi-runner bean called "White Robin". White Robin is a white bean with a large light red eye patch. The plant with the long vine had pretty long pods and the seeds were solid light red. The same shade as White Robin's Eye patch. I grew the bean in 2014 and it climbed like a pole bean. I called it "Jankowski" after the road where I was renting some gardening ground. The bean produced mostly the light red kidney shapeds seeds again. Plus a small amount of a dark mottled seeds. I grew the light red bean again this year and got the same results with a very small percentage of the mottled seeded bean again.


"Jankowski"........................................................."Unnamed Jankowski Segregation"

In 1977 about a week after I discovered and named "Blue Jay" I found a dark mottled seeded bean in the yellow podded, jet black seeded, bush variety of "Cherokee Wax". I had named the new bean "Kishwaukee". Named after the Kishwaukee river which flows through 3 northern Illinois counties. The next growing season in 1978 I found that "Kishwaukee" was indeed a wax bean like "Cherokee Wax" but I discovered it also had a green podded companion. That's when the yellow poded bean became "Kishwaukee Yellow" and the green one became "Kishwaukee Green" Now these two beans have always thrown off two other seed coats everytime I grew them. I always select the mottled seeds to grow but always get a jet black colored seed and a buff colored seed. Well... I left my bean growing alone for 22 years and when I started up again I found "Kishwaukee Yellow" being grown by Amy Hawk of Calhan, Colorado on her E5 Ranch. Amy has a website called "Simply Beans". She also is growing my bean called "Pawnee". After finding "Kishwaukee Yellow" I had been wondering about the fate of "Kishwaukee Green". When I rejoined Seed Savers Exchange in 2011 they gave me a donations list of beans that I donated to them plus beans that were turned in by other members that were associated with my early bean listings in their yearbook. "Kishwaukee Green was not on that list. So I thought it was likely gone.

A fellow from the state of Maine (David) had been growing a dark mottled seeded, green poded bean for 12 years and was wondering what the heck was the name of this bean. He had acquired the bean from a fellow he had done some work for that owned a market garden farm. Growing and selling vegetables. The market garden fellow just had the beans sitting on shelf for sometime in an old glass jar and gave the jar of beans to David. In 2015 David stumbled across my website and when he read the description about how the Kishwaukee varieties thew off these other two seed coat colors and saw the photo of the seed he was sure the bean he was growing is "Kishwaukee Green". He emailed me with the subject line..... "Bean seeds You Might Like". He told me in his email.... "I planted them and found out they were a bush type green bean and had smooth creamy flavor when eaten raw so I let the last batch go to seed and was amazed of the multi colored seeds that come out of them and the pattern on some are amazing so every time I tried to identify on sites I'd always return to The Bean Collector's Window and I believe I have green KIishwaukee seeds if you'd like I can package some and share so they stay alive in case mine fail some day". When the seeds arrived there was exactly the three seed coats, size, shape, and color of Kishwaukee Green. Once again I selected only the dark mottled bean for growing and it produced the buff, and jet black seed coats again. However this year I also found a solid brown seed among the batch. I do believe the bean is "Kiswaukee Green" but has probably been exposed to other beans and has done a some outcrossing again. I'm going to grow the mottled seeded Kishwaukee Green again in 2017 plus the brown seeded bean I've named "Kay Snap". So below is the dark mottled seeded "Kishwaukee Green" and photos of the other seed coats it produced this year.


"Kishwaukee Green"..........................................."Unnamed Black Kishwaukee segregation"


"Unnamed Buff Kishwaukee segregation..................."Kay Snap"

 

[aftermidnight]

Wow, that is such a good example of how to keep beans from extinction, share, share and share some more, keep these wonderful old varieties alive and well.
When I first went looking for the (tiny) Comtesse de Chambord I couldn't find a source anywhere in North America and believe you me I looked. With the help of another bean enthusiast I finally found a source in France, Two Wings Farm also got theirs from the same place. That place in France no longer lists them and because of health reasons Two Wings Farm is no more but I'm happy to say the last time I looked there are one or two places now selling them this side of the pond.
Like my Emilia's Italian, I believe I was the only one still growing them but I'm happy to say she's alive and well, has traveled near and far and right now she is making her way across the pond to the U.K.

@Bluejay77 your bread beans are they true pole types or half runners? The Sample Seed Shop has had one very similar to your two listed in previous years. The 'Tuscarora Bread Bean' (half runner) you can see the write up on her bean reference page. http://www.sampleseeds.com/?page_id=7770 Here's a picture from her website it's a much better picture than the one I have.

By any chance have you heard ANY more back from the U.K. about the Sarah's Old Fashioned Black I've been looking for? I have my fingers crossed .
Any chance you can give us a link to the 'Simply Beans' website, I went looking but couldn't find it .
Annette

 

[Blue-Jay]

Hi @aftermidnight,

I got some information today that all these bread beans are the same thing. The Tuscarora was probably the first one. The two that I grew this year weren't really strong climbers about 6 feet and they were done. Probably has to be considered a half runner. However anything I grow on a pole support I call a pole bean.

As saving beans go I also have the tiny seeded Comtesse De Chambord that I bought from Two Wings Farm when they were still in business. It's a nice bean to grow. Lovely slender pods. Even the larger seeded one I have has more slender pods than most snap beans. It too is nice to grow.

Try this link for Simply Beans http://e5ranch.com/seed_list1.html She has a nice website.

I haven't heard anything from Allotments 4 All in the UK. When I get a message they send me an email alert.

Snowing here today. 3 to 5 inches expected. Looks like a Christmas card around here now.

 

[Blue-Jay]

@aftermidnight,

Did the other bean arrive yet from that member of Allotments 4 All ?

 

[Blue-Jay]

The Big Bean Show - Day #49​

This first bean (Photo Top Left) is a true bush grows without runners called "Kretser Soldier". It has slight bluish speckling it's eye figure. (Top Right Photo) Is a pole cranberry variety I got from a fellow in Denmark called "Lambada". It's a very beautiful and productive bean. ( Second Row of photos Left) Is a pole snap bean that is very productive called "Landfrauen". It's my understanding the bean is Swiss in origin. On the right of that is an outcross I found in "Landfrauen" this year. The seeds of which are colored and patterned just like "Tennessee Wonder". (Third Row Of Photos On The Left) Is another pole bean I got from a lady in Austria called "Lapap". On the right of that is an outcross I found in "Lapap" this year. (Fourth Row Of Photos On The Left) Is another very productive pole snap bean called "Leslie Tenderpod". This bean has been grown in the mountains of eastern Kentucky for a long time. There are several other bean varieties that have this same color, shape and eye figure. Possibly they are the same bean or are related somehow. To the right on the fourth row of photos is another pole snap bean called "Logan Giant" which is also very productive.


"Kretser Soldier"................................................"Lambada"


"Landfrauen"....................................................."Outcross From Landrauen"


"Lapap"............................................................"Outcross From Lapap"


"Leslie Tenderpod"............................................."Logan Giant"

 

[aftermidnight]

@aftermidnight,

Did the other bean arrive yet from that member of Allotments 4 All ?

@Bluejay77 not yet, you mean there are a few actually on the way . Being it's getting close to Christmas they might take a little longer. The earliest I've received seeds from the UK is 2 weeks.
By the way love the quality of your pictures, so sharp and clear, I just have a point and shoot camera .

Annette

 

[aftermidnight]

@Bluejay77 I planted Logan Giant in 2015 and was surprised to find quite a few pods with black beans. I usually don't get out crosses but just in case I always bag some flowers. Most of the bagged flowers produce normal seed coat color, one bagged flower produced black ones. This was the first time growing this variety so the cross didn't happen here.

I've read somewhere that there is a black seeded version of Logan Giant out there, what are your thoughts on this.

Annette