2022 Little Easy Bean Network - We Are Beans Without Borders

[meadow]

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

Not to mention that genetic testing has shown that most porcelain types tested are identical (Music, Georgian Crystal, Georgian Fire, German Porcelain...)

 

[meadow]

What I found interesting when I went to harvest them was the extreme variation in the pods. Some plants had produced thin pods, others thick, and each had its own individual colour palette. I decided to separate the pods, and then the seeds from each plant--and it was a real eye opener to note the variations. Perhaps this is typical of fava? (I am even wondering if this might be considered a 'land race' fava, in that they are the same, yet so different).

I think there is one landrace fava, the only one I know of really, called Ianto's or something close to that.

There is also the Lofthouse Landrace Fava that can be seen at Experimental Farm Network. @Branching Out if you look at the photo, you can see that the beans are wildly different.

I recently came across a youtube presentation by Carol Deppe (can't remember where atm) where she expressed the desirability of nonconformity in the traits that do not matter because it shows genetic diversity. She said that when she was striving to get a solidly bush version of Beef-Bush Brown Resilient with all brown beans, she found that it was not as robust/healthy or productive as the one that threw a small percentage of yellow beans.

I think it was this video (it is chaptered, but the names of the chapters were obviously done by someone that didn't understand the content):

 

[Branching Out]

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.

There is also the Lofthouse Landrace Fava that can be seen at Experimental Farm Network. @Branching Out if you look at the photo, you can see that the beans are wildly different.

I recently came across a youtube presentation by Carol Deppe (can't remember where atm) where she expressed the desirability of nonconformity in the traits that do not matter because it shows genetic diversity. She said that when she was striving to get a solidly bush version of Beef-Bush Brown Resilient with all brown beans, she found that it was not as robust/healthy or productive as the one that threw a small percentage of yellow beans.

I think it was this video (it is chaptered, but the names of the chapters were obviously done by someone that didn't understand the content):

Thank you Meadow-- I located the presentation on YouTube (interestingly it did not come up use just 'Carol Deppe', so I likely would not have stumbled across it without your recommendation. I will try to sit down and watch that tonight. At the moment I am reading her book on how to breed your own vegetables and really enjoying it. She does a fine job of balancing easy to understand stories of real people, with explanations of genetic probability that make my head feel like it is going to explode. Why, why did I not take biology in high school? I think it will be a book that I will read and reread, in the hopes that more of it will come together for me (good chance the presentation will clear up a few things too).

Lofthouse is a name that keeps popping up for me in recent weeks as well, so I will check that out too. Much appreciated!

 

[meadow]

Here is a new-to-me bean, a very rare Native American heirloom from Northern California...

from Quail Seeds in Willits, CA:
"Round Valley (Covelo) Bush Bean. This rare heirloom comes from the Round Valley of Northern California, where the town of Covelo is located. The University of California has been unable to match it with any other known bean, or to find out it's history. It is one of the very few Native American heirloom beans from the Pacific coast. It is popular in the Round Valley as a dry bean, and makes wonderful soup. Also makes a nice green snap bean, like a bush Romano. It has a bush habit and makes a heavy set of flat, 6" pods. The county library, through its seed library program, has made this piece of local food culture available to residents of Covelo. We are very happy indeed to be part of this re-matriation effort.

Much of the Round Valley is a reservation, home of the Round Valley Tribes, descendants of the Yuki, Concow Maidu, Pomo, Nomlaki, Cahto, Wailake, and Pit River peoples who were forced onto the reservation in the 1860's. It is likely that this bean was bred by them to cope with the local conditions of extreme summer heat, from beans grown by the settlers nearby. It has become extremely rare, and we are privileged to carry this historic bean."

 

[flowerbug]

@meadow any heat tolerant bush bean that also gives decent edible pods is a welcome find. are you planning on growing it?

 

[heirloomgal]

Not to mention that genetic testing has shown that most porcelain types tested are identical (Music, Georgian Crystal, Georgian Fire, German Porcelain...)

Wow! I had no idea!

 

[meadow]

@meadow any heat tolerant bush bean that also gives decent edible pods is a welcome find. are you planning on growing it?

No, we're already situated for greenbeans and heat tolerance isn't a quality that is needed here.

For dry beans, I'm looking for earliness, ability to thrive in cool weather, exceptional flavor, and productivity.

The ones I'm REALLY excited about are the 'new' Carol Deppe beans: White Candle Gaucho and Brown Resilient (the one that is "meaty"). Carol was offering them through her own Fertile Valley Seed catalog, but it's been several years since you could get them from her.

These were grown with her involvement and are being offered by Quail Seeds and Fedco Seeds. Quail Seeds is taking pre-orders (and also has Beef-Bush Black Resilient, the one that is "beefier than beef"); Fedco has 'out-of-stock' placeholders. Both places are one of three exclusive distributors for the new release of Goldini II Zucchini, a summer squash with remarkable properties* (I'm very excited about this one!!!! Being able to have delicious dried squash as part of my food storage excites me no end!). Quail Seeds has the Candystick Dessert Delicata and Bigger Better Butternut, both grown with Carol's involvement. There's more but it's been a big day and I'm tired.

So if you ever wished you had some 'Foundation Stock' quality seed from Carol Deppe, now's the time to get it.

*Article about the development of Goldini Zucchini

 

[meadow]

@Branching Out
Ha! We were just talking about this. Look at Carol's description of Goldini in the article I linked above - she's given me a whole new outlook on what to look for when saving seed!:

Leaves may be solid green, speckled, silver, roundish, dissected, or sharp-pointed. Some young plants have goldish leaves; others don’t. Some pedicels (fruit stems) are yellow; most are green. Let genetic heterogeneity live! Goldini Zucchini has been selected for uniformity only for the traits that matter; genetic heterogeneity is part of the basis for its explosive germination and growth rate, plant vigor, productivity, and resilience. A small percent of green-fruited or bi-color fruited plants may segregate.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Blue Jay's 2022 Bean Show - Day 30​

Victoria Brown Eyes Off Type 3- Bush Dry - 2022

I had selected this out of the 9 segregations of a 2020 off type found in Victoria Brown Eyes. This was dubbed as the third of those 9 segregations in 2021 and grew it out this year. This bean reproduced itself along with four of it's own segregations in 2022. Those segregations are shown in photos 2,3,4, and 5. Total seed from this grow out including all the segregations was 18.50 ounces (524.46 gm).


Victoria Brown Eyes Off Type 3 -2122.....................Victoria Brown Eyes Off Type 3 -2122 - 122


Victoria Brown Eyes Off Type 3 -2122 - 222........Victoria Brown Eyes Off Type 3 -2122 - 322


Victoria Brown Eyes Off Type 3 -2122 - 422

 

[Blue-Jay]

Blue Jay's 2022 Bean Show - Day 30​

Victoria Brown Eyes Off Type 4- Bush Dry - 2022

This was the fourth segregation found in 2021 from a 2020 Victoria Brown Eyes Off Type seed. It produced two segregatins of it's own shown in photos 2 and 3. This grow out produced 10.20 ounces of seed (289.16 gm). Segregation 2 was closest to a pink Victoria Brown Eyes with a red eye figure that I could find in this grow out.


Victoria Brown Eyes Off Type 4-2122...........................Victoria Brown Eyes Off Type 4 -2122 - 122


Victoria Brown Eyes Off Type 4 -2122 - 222