2022 Little Easy Bean Network - We Are Beans Without Borders

[heirloomgal]

I am itching to see your website @heirloomgal. I've seen you post some photos of beans that I want to buy from you. Do you have someone building the site for you right now?

The website is mostly completed. The last task which I must learn to do before pressing the publish button is upload my photos for a gallery. I think I have over a thousand listings, which is where the brunt of the work was because the only things I really have pictures for is beans, and a few miscellaneous others. The photos will mostly be the ones I've posted here. I've done a practice run once already, but I need to do one more. I was supposed to get this mastered by early December but Father Christmas kept my focus elsewhere. I was really hoping to be done by Jan 1st, but it will be later than that now. Probably Feb if I put the petal to the metal next week.

It's the funniest story how this whole thing came to be, because I had no intention of having a website. I'm just a simple gardener. But because of how serendipity works I crossed paths with someone who is extremely computer savvy and felt it was a great idea and should be done. They did everything. It's all pretty crazy, but my helper got their first tech job from Steve Jobs, at the age of 12! One of those kids who was just super, super talented with computers.

 

[heirloomgal]

More bean pics underway.

Giant Nilgiri
Pole, dry. I did some research on this big, beautiful bean and I believe it's named for a flower that is a similar color on the Nilgiri mountrains in India. Until this summer, I always believed that big beans tend to produce less pods and small beans more pods. But I don't think that is always the case anymore, I had so many big beans (like this one) yield very heavily despite thier size.

Karachaganak
Semi-runner, dry. Such a gorgeous bean! Too bad I had some crosses in there which took over the row, so I wound up with not many beans. I'll have to try again with it. The coloring on it is pretty singular.

Coco de Belle Ile
Pole, dry. Pure love for this one!

Sietske
Pole, dry. This was such an odd bean! The shells were rock hard, really hard. But they were very water resistant! Also, many of the beans had this mustard coloring but looking a bit bruised up. It was odd, like bruise flecking. I'm going to try it again and see if it does better. I think it's a stabilized selection of another European bean., Friese Woodboun.

Vulkan
Pole, dry. Alien adoration.

A cross I found in Vulkan, a bit earlier than Vulkan.

Didn't grow this one, it was a gift from a seed requester in Southern Ontario. I believe it's a stabilized? cross from a lima bean she got from you @Bluejay77 . A pole variety. I doubt it would make it for me if I can barely squeeze by with Ping Zebra, but it's pretty.

 

[Branching Out]

More bean pics underway.

Giant Nilgiri
Pole, dry. I did some research on this big, beautiful bean and I believe it's named for a flower that is a similar color on the Nilgiri mountrains in India. Until this summer, I always believed that big beans tend to produce less pods and small beans more pods. But I don't think that is always the case anymore, I had so many big beans (like this one) yield very heavily despite thier size.
View attachment 54255

Karachaganak
Semi-runner, dry. Such a gorgeous bean! Too bad I had some crosses in there which took over the row, so I wound up with not many beans. I'll have to try again with it. The coloring on it is pretty singular.
View attachment 54256View attachment 54257

Coco de Belle Ile
Pole, dry. Pure love for this one!
View attachment 54258

Sietske
Pole, dry. This was such an odd bean! The shells were rock hard, really hard. But they were very water resistant! Also, many of the beans had this mustard coloring but looking a bit bruised up. It was odd, like bruise flecking. I'm going to try it again and see if it does better. I think it's a stabilized selection of another European bean., Friese Woodboun.
View attachment 54259

Vulkan
Pole, dry. Alien adoration.
View attachment 54253View attachment 54260

A cross I found in Vulkan, a bit earlier than Vulkan.
View attachment 54252

Didn't grow this one, it was a gift from a seed requester in Southern Ontario. I believe it's a stabilized? cross from a lima bean she got from you @Bluejay77 . A pole variety. I doubt it would make it for me if I can barely squeeze by with Ping Zebra, but it's pretty.
View attachment 54262

They are all so beautiful!

 

[Blue-Jay]

Didn't grow this one, it was a gift from a seed requester in Southern Ontario. I believe it's a stabilized? cross from a lima bean she got from you @Bluejay77 . A pole variety. I doubt it would make it for me if I can barely squeeze by with Ping Zebra, but it's pretty.

Actually you might be able to grow this one. Ping Zebra is later in maturity than beans like this stablized cross that you were given. Try two seeds next season and start them early like you do with your pole beans. You might be in for a big surprise.

I wonder what was that lima that I sent that grower in southern Ontario? If I knew I might dig out that lima next summer and do some growing of it. Email me their name and I can go look for their seed order. I've got a record of seed orders back to about 10 years.

 

[meadow]

I was excited to grow Marfax because I have read that it makes a good baked bean. I can't remember now where I read that.

Fedco certainly gives that impression! "These are the beans served at Sagadahoc MOFGA’s famous baked bean, switchel and cider booth at the Common Ground Country Fair. This chapter had vended at all 42 fairs?— selling baked beans since 1996— until the pandemic. After a two-year fair hiatus, they were back at it in 2022! Heirloom resembling Swedish Brown Bean, but earlier and higher yielding. Richly flavored brown baking bean very well adapted to our cool climate."

Marfax is the one we used in our first-ever baked beans. Can confirm, they were very very good! (and they are very good in just plain water)

 

[Dahlia]

I never realized how many different kinds of beans existed until I joined this forum. It is incredible! I only knew of pinto, blk beans, lentil, Lima, navy, white, garbanzo, kidney, red, and many a couple more! I love all of the variety!
Has anyone ever tried to grow sprouts from the more common type beans?

 

[Artorius]

During my Christmas vacation I managed to take some more pics of beans from 2022.

Tarahumara Dark Purple - pole.This year I sowed seeds harvested in 2021 and the beans grew great. The vast majority of the pods dried on the bushes. The color of the seeds is also better than in the previous season.




Wachtelbohne aus Unterfranken - pole. Extremely fertile bean. I received the seeds from the association Bamberger Sortengarten, Bamberg, Germany.




Tuvagliedda Nera - pole.




Nasieddu Rosso Cannellino - bush. Bean from the collection of Domenico Belisario, Sarconi, Italy. I had very few seeds, but now I have much more




Happy New Year !!!

 

[Blue-Jay]

Hi @Dahlia,

Welcome to one of the finest family of bean growers you could possibly find. Hope you will spend more time here often. Nice to have you with us.

 

[Dahlia]

Hi @Dahlia,

Welcome to one of the finest family of bean growers you could possibly find. Hope you will spend more time here often. Nice to have you with us.

Well thanks! I have very little space in my garden, so I have never grown beans, but I want to try sprouting them and eating the sprouts! What do you think of this idea?

 

[Dahlia]

I

Hi @Dahlia,

Welcome to one of the finest family of bean growers you could possibly find. Hope you will spend more time here often. Nice to have you with us.