Iroquois Bread Bean

This pink-flowered tobacco grows easily in any type of soil. Hardy, short, and an early producer, the plant ripens in only six weeks and offers leaves with a strong flavour. Considered sacred, this tobacco is an important medicinal plant for First Nations, and is used in numerous rituals. Mentions of this tobacco date back to 1807, according to the 1897 W.M Ewing & cie's catalogue. In Quebec, the Small Canadian tobacco has been grown for over a century. As early as 1884, it became commercialized by the J. O. Forest factory in Saint-Roch-de-L'Achigan. Considered as rare. Package: 750 seeds

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

Bush bean that yields beautiful and tender green pods, more round than flat. Can be eaten as green beans or dry beans. The bean is white with a black and red spot, on one side only. A unique asymmetry. The dried beans, when cooked, are surprisingly sweet. High yielding. The variety potentially dates back to 1986, when it was bred in the U.S.

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

Maturity: 100 days Climbing shelling bean. This variety comes from the Abenaki First Nations. It is part of Slow Food's Ark of Taste. The beans, once dry, are a flamboyant red which makes them resemble cranberries. White hilum. Rich Flavour. Rare variety, rediscovered by the bean collector John Withee, who obtained it from M. Taylor of Steep Falls, Maine after 11 years of research. He had read the description in an encyclopedia dating back from the 1700s. In 1981, John Withee donated his collection of 1,186 beans to the Seed Savers Exchange organization (U.S.). This variety is found in a number of catalogues from the East of New England in the 1850s, including in one from Montreal dated from 1899. It mentioned that this variety was very popular. Package: 20 seeds

The Ferland Family bean is a yellow, flat, climbing heirloom bean, saved by René Paquet of Seeds of Diversity. Originating from Saints-Anges, they were handed to Mr. Gérard Parent in 2001 by Mrs. Carmelle Boily Ferland (1916-2015), who received them from her parents, Cleophas Boily et Demerise Turmel. According to Mrs. Paquet, who then received them from Mrs. Parent, they date back to before 1900. The pods can be harvested fresh, even when pretty ripe, or as dry beans. For more informations, visit (in French): https://potagersdantan.com/2016/05/13/le-haricot-ferland/