Topic: Red Podded beans.

[Good Gourd 2]

I have been given some   red podded kidney beans. (I have been told they are kidney beans) Please anyone know of the veriety. or anything that could help.

[chriscross1966]

Oh dear, in my collection of beans I have two red-podded kidney beans, ones a dwarf, ones a climber, then I've got several other beans that could be described as "kidney" and "red podded".... and they're a mixture of dwarfs and climers, so
Dark Red Kidney
Climbing Red Kidney
Ernies Big-Eye Dwarf
Neabel's Ukrainian (Climbing)
Selma Zebra (Climbing)

could all be in the frame

[galina]

Red podded?  Or with red seed coat?

[Good Gourd 2]

The pods are red apparently.

[galina]

The pods are red apparently.

Asparagus bean 'Red Noodle'?  This is a different species to the ordinary French Beans.  It is a vigna unguiculata.  Needs a lot of warmth to succeed in Britain.  However I would not describe the seeds are 'kidney' beans.

There is dwarf French bean 'Red Swan', which is a reddish purple.

The term 'kidney bean' is a little ambiguous, but is mostly used for French beans (species phaseolus vulgaris) which are used for shelling out.

Maybe the person who shared their seeds can help with variety names?

[Digeroo]

I had red podded beans from HSL last year.  A varıety of runner beans.   Ok nice flavour but they go stringy if you leave them too long by the time they have gone nicely red it is a bit too late..  They were supposed to be purple but were quite bright red. 

[gardentg44]

i grew some red ones last year.barlotti or some thing like that??

[chriscross1966]

Oh that's a thought... there's a french shelling bean called Chinese Red Noodle, but the beans look like peanuts (really, you'd not tell them apart). I got some this year from Pennards plants..

[Bluejay]

Oh dear, in my collection of beans I have two red-podded kidney beans, ones a dwarf, ones a climber, then I've got several other beans that could be described as "kidney" and "red podded".... and they're a mixture of dwarfs and climers, so
Dark Red Kidney
Climbing Red Kidney
Ernies Big-Eye Dwarf
Neabel's Ukrainian (Climbing)
Selma Zebra (Climbing)

could all be in the frame

Hello chriscross1966 !

I live in the U.S. and I donated a bean called Ernie's Big Eye to the then Henry Doubleday Research Asscociation now called Garden Organic in 1980. Do you still grow this bean? Do you also have some seed of this bean that would still be viable for growing a year from now. If you still are maintaining this bean I would like to trade you something for about 25 seeds of Ernie's Big Eye. I have a website of beans you could take a look at http://www.abeancollectorswindow.com. I know your post is about two years old, but I still hope to hear from you. 

[Jayb]

Hello and Welcome to the forum 
That is a superb site you have, I've long admired Blue Jay beans from a far, they look so gorgeous!

[Bluejay]

Hey Jayb !

Thank you so much for the welcome to Allotments 4 All. I just happen to stumble across this forum yesterday looking for a bean called Ernie's Big Eye.

Maybe I can send you some seed of Blue Jay. They are a dwarf french bean. Very productive. Heavy cropper as you would say in the UK. This bean was the very first outcross bean I ever discovered in late August of 1977. The seed mother was a white seed dwarf french bean called Comtesse de Chambord. although I don't think the version of CDC I had at the time was authentic.

There was a bean I donated to Henry Double Day Research Association (Garden Organic) back in 1980 called Giant Stringless Greenpod. I think most folks are calling it simply "Giant Stringless" these days. I would like to obtain about 20 to 25 seeds of it from anyone who grows the bean. It's a french bean. Grows tall close to 2/3 of a meter. Solid one tone of golden tan colored seeds. Giant Stringless Greenpod was developed by the father of the stringless bean Calvin Keeney in the late 1890's. I would venture a guess that some member of Garden Organic has acquired the bean sometime and perhaps a few people in the UK are maintaining the variety.

Godbless everyone on Allotments For All.

Cheers!
Bluejay   

[galina]

Welcome here Bluejay!  We had a few conversations on the Bohnen group over on facebook 
Nice to see you here and looking forward to reading your posts. 

Ernie's is still available from HSL (although not in 2015).  Giant Stringless Greenpod is a new one on me, I'm afraid.  Hope you'll get them back into your collection.   

The HSL catalogue is onllne now for the first time, rather than a paper catalogue.  You might like to have a look:
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/sites/www.gardenorganic.org.uk/files/hsl_catalogue_2015.pdf

[Bluejay]

Hello Galina,

Thanks for your welcome on the forum. I had contacted HSL about 3 years ago about Ernie's Big Eye, and they told me the seed laws today don't allow them to send seeds overseas to private parties anymore like the old days. So I will just acquire them from a private gardener. Of course they will have to be declared on the CN-22 customs form as something other than beans or seeds. If I keep asking from time to time I'm sure someone will eventually turn up the beans I'm looking for. Jayb wrote to me today and he says he's growing Ernie's Big Eye this season and I can get some from him if I don't hear from Chriscross. Just like Ernie's Big Eye I'm sure some members of Garden Organic probably have acquired Giant Stringless and the beans get traded around and at least a bit more people maintain some of these old varieties. Nice talking to you.

Cheers!
Bluejay   

[galina]

Hello Galina,

Thanks for your welcome on the forum. I had contacted HSL about 3 years ago about Ernie's Big Eye, and they told me the seed laws today don't allow them to send seeds overseas to private parties anymore like the old days. So I will just acquire them from a private gardener. Of course they will have to be declared on the CN-22 customs form as something other than beans or seeds. If I keep asking from time to time I'm sure someone will eventually turn up the beans I'm looking for. Jayb wrote to me today and he says he's growing Ernie's Big Eye this season and I can get some from him if I don't hear from Chriscross. Just like Ernie's Big Eye I'm sure some members of Garden Organic probably have acquired Giant Stringless and the beans get traded around and at least a bit more people maintain some of these old varieties. Nice talking to you.

Cheers!
Bluejay   

I hope that Jayb can help you out.  She is an exceptional gardener and seed saver and heads up the seed saving group here.  I always declare 'garden seed' on the form as just that and make sure it says on the packet what is in it.  Latin name too.  Touch wood, been fine so far.  The biggest problem is that germination can be a little down, presumably because of the various scans and x-rays. 

Will keep a look-out for Giant Stringless too.     

[galina]

Bluejay, presumably this is the wrong Giant Stringless bean?

http://sustainableseedco.com/heirloom-vegetable-seeds/a-ca/bean-heirloom-seeds/pole-beans/cascade-giant-stringless-pole-bean.html

 

[LonghornGardens]

I have acquired a lot of great bean varieties from bluejay over the last year.  I am very happy to have met him. 

[Bluejay]

I hope that Jayb can help you out.  She is an exceptional gardener and seed saver and heads up the seed saving group here.  I always declare 'garden seed' on the form as just that and make sure it says on the packet what is in it.  Latin name too.  Touch wood, been fine so far.  The biggest problem is that germination can be a little down, presumably because of the various scans and x-rays. 

Will keep a look-out for Giant Stringless too.     
[/quote]

Hi Galina,

It certainly does seem like Jayb will be able to help out in my reacquistion of the Ernies' Big Eye bean. If Jayb reads this she might like the little piece of history I can supply about the bean.

I first acquired the bean from a man in Lynnfield, Massachusetts who had a large bean collection and a bean network of growers to help him keep his collection alive. The man's name was John Withee and his bean network was called "Wanigan Associates". He originally got the bean from one of his members who was also a member of The Seed Savers Exchange from Decorah, Iowa. The members name was Ernest B. Dana from Etna, New Hampshire. Ernie and I used to trade beans with each other after I became a member of The Seed Savers Exchange. Ernie very much like beans that had the Jacob's Cattle type seed coat pattern. He grew quite a few varieties in his collection and he would get some outcrosses from time to time. Ernie's Big Eye was one of those crosses. I believe Jacob's Cattle is probably the seed mother of Ernie's Big Eye. The bean has been stable for nearly 40 years, and I would say by now it is probably a true modern day heirloom variety. I have always like the bean.   

Also thanks for the link to the HSL seed offerings. It's very nice that they are doing that.       

Best regards to you and all on the forum

Bluejay

[Bluejay]

Bluejay, presumably this is the wrong Giant Stringless bean?

http://sustainableseedco.com/heirloom-vegetable-seeds/a-ca/bean-heirloom-seeds/pole-beans/cascade-giant-stringless-pole-bean.html

 

Yes this is not the Giant Stringless I am after. The one I am after is a tall dwarf type, and the pods are just solid green.

 

Bluejay 

[Jayb]

Hey Jayb !

Thank you so much for the welcome to Allotments 4 All. I just happen to stumble across this forum yesterday looking for a bean called Ernie's Big Eye.

Maybe I can send you some seed of Blue Jay. They are a dwarf french bean. Very productive. Heavy cropper as you would say in the UK. This bean was the very first outcross bean I ever discovered in late August of 1977. The seed mother was a white seed dwarf french bean called Comtesse de Chambord. although I don't think the version of CDC I had at the time was authentic.

There was a bean I donated to Henry Double Day Research Association (Garden Organic) back in 1980 called Giant Stringless Greenpod. I think most folks are calling it simply "Giant Stringless" these days. I would like to obtain about 20 to 25 seeds of it from anyone who grows the bean. It's a french bean. Grows tall close to 2/3 of a meter. Solid one tone of golden tan colored seeds. Giant Stringless Greenpod was developed by the father of the stringless bean Calvin Keeney in the late 1890's. I would venture a guess that some member of Garden Organic has acquired the bean sometime and perhaps a few people in the UK are maintaining the variety.

Godbless everyone on Allotments For All.

Cheers!
Bluejay   

I would be very interested in growing some of your Blue Jay beans, I've always thought the seeds look stunning and if they taste half as good - winner!

I'm afraid I haven't heard of Giant Stringless Greenpod, but I will have a little look about for you. I wonder if HSL still hold some?

Thank you for the history of Ernies' Big Eye bean, it's so good to have accurate information, often it's lost as beans are shared around. I thought I had a photo of the dried beans, but I don't seem to be able to find it, I've only a couple of seeds left but I'll take a picture tomorrow. 

[Bluejay]

I would be very interested in growing some of your Blue Jay beans, I've always thought the seeds look stunning and if they taste half as good - winner!

I'm afraid I haven't heard of Giant Stringless Greenpod, but I will have a little look about for you. I wonder if HSL still hold some?

Thank you for the history of Ernies' Big Eye bean, it's so good to have accurate information, often it's lost as beans are shared around. I thought I had a photo of the dried beans, but I don't seem to be able to find it, I've only a couple of seeds left but I'll take a picture tomorrow.
[/quote]

Hi Jayb,

In the Autumn we will do some bean swapping after your and my gardens are about finished for the season. I'll put you down for Blue Jay. I would like seeds of those two we talked about in our off line private message from your Papa De Rolla, and of course the Ernie's Big Eye. I don't think I'm going to hear from Chriscross. Think about what else you would like that I have on my website.

On the EasyGarden forum in the 2015 Little Easy Bean Network thread on page 30. I put a photo of the Ernie's Big Eye seed I grew back in 1985. The color has changed as the seed is 30 years old but you can see how the seed is patterned.

Cheers!
Bluejay