Sept-Iles Beans

Well-appreciated for its ornemental value with its immaculate white flowers. These flowers also attract hummingbirds, just like scarlett runner beans. The very large bean can be eaten once removed from the pods; it is used to make cassoulet. Rumor has it that there might even be a 'Soisson Bean Companion Brotherhood' in France. Rare. Package: 15 large seeds

The Golden Heirloom bean was grown by the Cantin family in Portneuf for many generations. This ancient variety is now endangered. It might be a slightly different version of the Yellow Canada Bean. It produces green pods when still young, and golden yellow beans once mature. As a semi-dwarf variety, it can grow up to 1m tall. Package: 30 seeds

Old dwarf cultivar from Beauce, Quebec. Its green pods are covered with purple stripes. It can be eaten as green or dry beans. According to many, they're the best choice to make baked beans (fèves au lard). However, Boucher Family bean fans disagree. The solution? Mix 'em both! Beauce territory was originally occupied by the Iroquoian Nation of the Saint-Lawrence. It is therefore a possibility that this bean comes from a variety that they were growing. With the arrival of the first Colonizers many trades happened, among which beans were handed to the newcomers. With this gift, they then continued selection over many years to create different varieties. This variety, Thibodeau du comté Beauce, was found by Mr Marc Warsha. He was given the seeds by Mr Martin Roy from St-Zacharie, in Beauce. The cultivation of this bean had been carried for 4 generations, starting with the great-great-grandmother of Martin Roy, as far as we can trace back. The name, Thibodeau du comté Beauce, was first listed in the Seed of Diversity catalogue in 2003. Package: 30 seeds

Golden yellow pods, long et thin. Very productive and stable. Comes from France and, before that, Algeria. The more you harvest, the more it will yield, over a long period. What makes this bean stand out aside from its taste is how its pods remain tender on the plant over many days, easing the work of those who don't have the time for daily harvests. The beans are elongated and deep black. A mentioned above, outstanding taste. This type of beans were introduced in France in the 1840s as 'Alger Beans' (Haricot d'Alger), since they allegedly came from Algeria. From this black bean gene pool, the French bred new varieties such as Beurre de Rocquencourt, a town near Versailles. Package: 35 seeds

Green bush bean, with small round and sweet pods. A delight! This variety was found on a trading table at a Seedy Saturday event in Frelishburg, QC, in 2013. The name seems ancient, and it is not listed on any of the list of seed saving organizations in either Canada nor the U.S. Limited quantities. VERY RARE. If someone has any additional informations on its origin, please share it with us. It it one of our favourites, and we are dying to get to know it better! Addendum: In November 2016, we found a mention of a Dutch Princess bean in the "New-Zeland Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science /Experimental Agriculture" of March 1978. The origin of the bean is, unsurprisingly, Dutch. It seems it was named by the seed saver William Damn Seeds, who sells an improved version of a Dutch Princess bean. We also found a Dutch Princess bean mention in a research center from... Tanzania, in Arusha, (Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT)) in 1972. To be continued...

This yellow climbing bean is very vigorous and produces long yellow pods that are delicious eaten fresh, and are not fibrous. The man who shared them with us saved the seeds of his bush beans year after year until, to his surprise, he noticed they were turning into climbing beans! He then named them Daroi. We were impressed by their quality and so we decided to share them with you.