Bush Bean Mixt

High-yielding bush bean producing shelling beans of a beautiful matte white color. They were given to us by an Iroquoian collector, but we were not able to retrieve its origin. The variety is mentioned in an old New York catalog, but it is described as a climbing variety. We do no have further informations. A rarity!

Climbing green beans, gives 6 to 7 very small beans per pod. They are a nice pink, and are delicious as dry beans. Just as delicious as green beans, and produces a lot. This bean was given during a Seedy Saturday to René Paquet, then volunteer representative at the Canada Seeds of Diversity booth, by Marie-Jeanne Disant, from Quebec City. René then shared a couple with me, and it didn't take long before charmed by their high-yields and color! Marie-Jeanne Disant: "I am so glad to find other enthusiasts for my grandma's bean. I have been saving them since the 70s, sharing them with whomever wants them, telling myself how important it is to save this heritage!" "I did indeed get those beans from my grandma. She was living in France and had never left her Ile-de-France community, unlike these beans which have crossed the ocean! She had received them from her Swiss neighbor, who made her this gift between the two wars. How did the bean initially get to Europe, and Switzerland, I have no idea! But when I moved to Quebec in the 90s, I brought some in my shoes. I thought I wasn't infringing on the law that much, since I was simply bringing them back to their original continent. [...] One more thing, they can eaten as green beans even when the small seeds are forming inside, since they are so tender." We later on learned that Mrs. Disant carried the beans in the shoes in her suitcase, not the ones she was wearing. Package: 30 seeds

Hidatsa red beans are semi-climbing, productive, and grow large pods containing between 5 to 7 beans. This variety was originally bred by the Hidatsa tribe in the Missouri River valley, in North Dakota, USA. It was then introduced to the wider public by Oscar Will, a horticulture pioneer, in 1915.   Package: 25 seeds

This very ancient variety was supposedly brought to the U.S. on the Mayflower boat in 1620. The boat was carrying English religious dissidents, the Pilgrim fathers, and other European people seeking a land where they could fully enjoy religious freedom. This variety was widely grown in the Carolinas region. Despite this nice story, and considering most beans are originally from America, it is more likely that the colonizers 'borrowed' this variety from First Nations and named it after their boat. Perhaps. Their pods are small, and contain squarish beans, sprinkled with pink and white marks. Can be eaten as green beans when still young, or as dry beans when they reach maturity after 85 days. Mayflower beans are part of the SlowFood USA's Ark of Taste. Package: 30 seeds

Plant approximately 2 to 2,5 meters tall. Fruits weigh between 180 and 300 grams and have a diameter of approximately 10 cm. Smooth red-rose skin, sweet and juicy flesh. Performs well in cool climates and short seasons. Discovered in the 1930s in the Joliette area by a farmer named Dufresne. It was given to Armand Savignac of the Clerics of Saint Viator. Due to chronic digestive disorders and a rare malformation, Savignac became a vegetarian and began to grow vegetables. Among different varieties cultivated in his garden was the Savignac tomato.   Package: approx. 35 seeds

Hardy climbing bean, can reach up to 12 foot in height. Tender green pods, sweet and somewhat flat beans. High-yielding. Usually grown for its beige, chocolaty-brown striped beans, but can also be eaten as green beans. Climbs so high that our tutors couldn't support it and got knocked down by the weight at the end of the season. Originally grown by the Kahnawake Iroquoian First Nations (Quebec). One of the most beautiful beans we grow. Package: 30 seeds