Offer of Bambarra Beans

[Pulsegleaner]

Hi all
A week or two ago while wandering around Etsy, of all places, I found the following listing
https://www.etsy.com/listing/794295311/bambara-beans-12-oz?ref=user_profile&frs=1
While quite a bit of money up front compared to a seed packet, when divided by weight, this was quite a bargain on Bambarra beans.

So to cut a long story short, I purchased 4 units (or to do the math, 3 pounds) of these (one already arrived, three more on their way)

So here is the deal. If any one wants to play around with Bambarra beans, AND is content with all white seed (the actual beans are not nearly so color rich as the picture makes them out to be, so what few colored and patterned ones I get I am reserving for my own use) I am willing to sell them at cost (i.e. you tell me how much you want, I'll weigh it and charge a price proportional to the fraction of the original cost that makes) plus shipping.

I offer no assurances as to whether these are long or short season ones.

 

[Zeedman]

I tried growing bambara several years ago; two varieties, both of which turned out to be photo-period sensitive, and produced only a couple under-developed pods before frost. (I think I still have a few old seeds left.) From what I've read, that is the norm for the species, and any effort which might have been expended on domestication was directed to peanuts instead. I'd love to be wrong, and if you find a day-neutral / short season variety, I'm up for that.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

There supposedly IS one but these are probably not it. The short season one was the one Baker Creek was offering, and that was a speckled tan version.

The tough part seems to be getting diversity. While, as far as I know, bambarras come in pretty much every color that their close cousin the cow pea does, finding most of them is a challenge. Ricter's had two recently one white one "butterfly" (the equivalent of eyed) But as far as I know these were the same ones they had before with different names.

Black seems especially tricky, I've only ever seen that ONCE.

And if you think Bamabarras are hard, I've heard they a a piece of cake compared to the Hausa,or Kersting's Groundnut (Macrotyloma geocarpum). THAT'S supposedly so little grown I have never even seen it for SALE (it's only though one picture on the web I even know what they look like)

 

[Pulsegleaner]

The order finally arrived.

In addition to the ordered bambarra's the person sent me a package of bambarras that come from Kenya/Mali (as opposed to Ghana where most come from) They're too buggy to eat, but there's some good genetic material there (I actuallt found a new pattern I had not seen before) Plus since no one can eat them, when I ordered some more material, he's sending three more bags for free!

 

[flowerbug]

The order finally arrived.

In addition to the ordered bambarra's the person sent me a package of bambarras that come from Kenya/Mali (as opposed to Ghana where most come from) They're too buggy to eat, but there's some good genetic material there (I actuallt found a new pattern I had not seen before) Plus since no one can eat them, when I ordered some more material, he's sending three more bags for free!

if they are anything like me they may have a hard time getting rid of any beans at all. so they are glad to send them off to someone who might be able to get some to grow even if they are old. if they were really buggy/bad then they probably couldn't or wouldn't want to try to sell them (i sure wouldn't).

will they survive a few days in the freezer to get rid of any bugs that might be alive?

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Your're right they wouldn't be able to sell them for food.

As far as I can tell, the bugs are long long dead. They have the classic look of seed that has gotten a HUGE infection of bean beetles (I want to say "bean weevils" but the few dead adult bugs I found don't look like weevils, they don't have the probosces) but the "cookie cutter" holes are distinctive.

I went through and tossed out any beans with holes, it amounted to about half of them. And most of the half the DON'T have dead eggs stuck all over them.

I'll keep an eye on them (they're in a sealed container) and if it looks like any of the bugs survived, into the freezer they go. I lost too much of my mini corn when I first got it to grain moths to mess around with pests.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Second round arrived.

This time the bugs are very clearly still alive, so into the freezer the cleaned seed goes!

Looks like they ARE bean weevils (two kinds, big ones and little ones)

No real surprises this time, but plenty more eyed ones.