2022 Little Easy Bean Network - We Are Beans Without Borders

[heirloomgal]

I am feeling jubilant to finally jar up all the beans from 2023. I have kept the beans that grew in larger quantity in paper bags to wick since harvesting but I think it's time to switch them over to longer term storage now. I haven't put the lids on yet though. I guess this is the point where I can really get perspective on whether it was a fruitful legume year or not, and I think all in all, looking at the jars, it was a very good year. I am just so happy with all my new beans!

This is the third year I've grown runner beans in earnest, and wow, it's certainly a species that can produce. I wish that it was possible to grow more than one per season without risk of crossing. 😃

 

[Zeedman]

I am feeling jubilant to finally jar up all the beans from 2023. I have kept the beans that grew in larger quantity in paper bags to wick since harvesting but I think it's time to switch them over to longer term storage now.

Still too soon for me... I haven't been struck by sweater lightning yet. That has been my indicator for the low indoor humidity needed to dry seeds enough for storage. That usually occurs when the December temps get down to 0 F. degrees for a few days.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Blue Jay's 2022 Bean Show - Day 28​

Tamila - Pole Dry - 2022

I obtainned this bean from a former member of the Seed Savers Exchange in 2012. This member had acquired Tamila from the Heritage Seed Library in the UK. Grew it for the first time in 2014. Found that it is not a tall climber but a very productive bean of quality seed. The bean is grown in the western Ukraine. This year was the third time I've grown this bean and while some other pole beans struggled to produce very much seed sometimes of any quality. Tamila once again was one of the shinning stars of my pole bean patch. Total seed produced by Tamila with a total of 8 beans planted was 18.20 ounces (515.96 gm).


Tamila - Pole Dry

 

[Blue-Jay]

Blue Jay's 2022 Bean Show - Day 28​

Trebulino Di Domenico - Pole Dry - 2022


I obtained this bean from Joseph Simcox the second time he sent me beans in 2015. The bean is of Italian origin and usually produces a good crop of quality bean but this year was a year of struggle and poor quality. Total seed collected 3.65 ounces (103.47 gm)


Trebulino Di Domenico - Pole Dry

 

[Blue-Jay]

Blue Jay's 2022 Bean Show - Day 28​

Tresenjevec - Pole Dry - 2022

Something new in my grow out this summer. The seed came from Beans And Herbs UK via one of our network growers from the state of Washington who is not active on LEBN. The bean produced a small amount of nice seed from very few plants perhaps two. I have the feeling that this one could be quite productive. Total seed was 5.80 ounces (164.42 gm)



Tresnjevec - Pole Dry

 

[Blue-Jay]

Blue Jay's 2022 Bean Show - Day 28​

True Red Cranberry - Pole Dry - 2022

This is the rare heirloom bean that was rediscovered by celebrated bean collector, John Withee of his "Wanigan Associates" bean network fame. He searched for 11 years for this bean after reading about a "Red Cranberry" bean in a 1700's gardening encyclopedia. He finally discovered it growing on a Mr. Taylor's farm in Steep Falls, Maine. My seed donor is from Potter Valley, California 2013. Seed collected from this bean was 5.40 ounces (153 gm).


True Red Cranberry - Pole Dry

 

[Pulsegleaner]

I think this happens quite a bit in tomatoes too. I've read of one variety (can't remember which right now) that had a long story behind it, and "discovered" by a granddame of tomatoes, that when released, was not stable (with no mention of instablity on release). Another tomato, Vintage Wine, is actually an off-type, of a tomato that Tom Wagner didn't release, but had given some seeds of it to someone in Europe. The "type" of it had a fatal gene that seeds wouldn't sprout if it had two copies of the gene (homozygous). So the person selected out the plants that didn't have that gene and called it Vintage Wine. Mr. Wagner was also the breeder of the Green Zebra tomato, Green Grape, and many others. Mostly unrecognized for his work.

I'm almost SURE the tomato you are thinking of is Marianna's Peace. It hit the market Via Tomatobob about twenty or so years ago, with some BS story about being smuggled out by some immigrant family in WWII as the only possession they could save from their family (and a consequently enormous per seed price). It turned out to just be another pink tomato, and not a very good one.

I'm VERY suspicious of ANY heirloom seed that claims to have been discovered sealed in some cave or tomb. While it is true that some seeds can last a very long time under proper conditions, these stories make it sound like being viable after hundreds or thousands of years is a day to day occurrence, and never needs help (i.e. there is no mention of the first grow out being done in a lab which has access to germination enhancers.) It OCCASIONALY happens (for example, the thing with the Judean date palms seems legit) but it is a rare occurrence. And the fact that a bunch of old caves and tombs are STILL used for storage (which means that, even if you find seeds there, they don't necessarily have to have been there since the tomb was made/occupied.) and you have another layer of confusion.

Then there is the matter of translation errors. The bean you are calling Knuttle I learned as "Gnuddle", since that was how it was spelled on the Amishland site where I saw it.

For a long time, I thought there was a tomato called "Crimean Nights" until I realized someone had translated Black Krim into French (where it would be Noir d' Crimee" and then mis-translated it back. And then there was Black Moor, which was the same thing as Black Mavr.

On the flipside, I have had problems with the fact there is both an English pea AND a Grass Pea called "King Tut". Or that there is both a flour corn and a tomato called Bloody Butcher. Makes it hard to tell what you are getting.

 

[Branching Out]

I'm almost SURE the tomato you are thinking of is Marianna's Peace. It hit the market Via Tomatobob about twenty or so years ago, with some BS story about being smuggled out by some immigrant family in WWII as the only possession they could save from their family (and a consequently enormous per seed price). It turned out to just be another pink tomato, and not a very good one.

I'm VERY suspicious of ANY heirloom seed that claims to have been discovered sealed in some cave or tomb. While it is true that some seeds can last a very long time under proper conditions, these stories make it sound like being viable after hundreds or thousands of years is a day to day occurrence, and never needs help (i.e. there is no mention of the first grow out being done in a lab which has access to germination enhancers.) It OCCASIONALY happens (for example, the thing with the Judean date palms seems legit) but it is a rare occurrence. And the fact that a bunch of old caves and tombs are STILL used for storage (which means that, even if you find seeds there, they don't necessarily have to have been there since the tomb was made/occupied.) and you have another layer of confusion.

Then there is the matter of translation errors. The bean you are calling Knuttle I learned as "Gnuddle", since that was how it was spelled on the Amishland site where I saw it.

For a long time, I thought there was a tomato called "Crimean Nights" until I realized someone had translated Black Krim into French (where it would be Noir d' Crimee" and then mis-translated it back. And then there was Black Moor, which was the same thing as Black Mavr.

On the flipside, I have had problems with the fact there is both an English pea AND a Grass Pea called "King Tut". Or that there is both a flour corn and a tomato called Bloody Butcher. Makes it hard to tell what you are getting.

Or Red Russian garlic (Marbled Purple Stripe family) and Russian Red garlic (Standard Purple Stripe family). Vexing, and very difficult to keep straight.

 

[Jack Holloway]

I'm almost SURE the tomato you are thinking of is Marianna's Peace. It hit the market Via Tomatobob about twenty or so years ago, with some BS story about being smuggled out by some immigrant family in WWII as the only possession they could save from their family (and a consequently enormous per seed price). It turned out to just be another pink tomato, and not a very good one.

I'm VERY suspicious of ANY heirloom seed that claims to have been discovered sealed in some cave or tomb. While it is true that some seeds can last a very long time under proper conditions, these stories make it sound like being viable after hundreds or thousands of years is a day to day occurrence, and never needs help (i.e. there is no mention of the first grow out being done in a lab which has access to germination enhancers.) It OCCASIONALY happens (for example, the thing with the Judean date palms seems legit) but it is a rare occurrence. And the fact that a bunch of old caves and tombs are STILL used for storage (which means that, even if you find seeds there, they don't necessarily have to have been there since the tomb was made/occupied.) and you have another layer of confusion.

Then there is the matter of translation errors. The bean you are calling Knuttle I learned as "Gnuddle", since that was how it was spelled on the Amishland site where I saw it.

For a long time, I thought there was a tomato called "Crimean Nights" until I realized someone had translated Black Krim into French (where it would be Noir d' Crimee" and then mis-translated it back. And then there was Black Moor, which was the same thing as Black Mavr.

On the flipside, I have had problems with the fact there is both an English pea AND a Grass Pea called "King Tut". Or that there is both a flour corn and a tomato called Bloody Butcher. Makes it hard to tell what you are getting.

Yes, that is it. Someone selected out a potato leafed tomato from it, stabilized it, and released it as Marianna's Revenge I think it was.

 

[Jack Holloway]

Back to beans. This isn't easy for me, but my season was a bust. I have nothing to send back. Growing in pots did not work out for me, in anyway. I'm coming to terms with myself and realizing that it will be a few years before the blackberries will be dealt with enough to garden.

So Jay, do I send back the seeds that I didn't grow out, or what? They were:Tartan, Karachaganak, Up the Valley, Glade Springs, Trevio Nun, Cedar Creek, and Dalmatin.