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Did anyone hear of these?  I've searched all over and can find no mention.

Found them in a mysterious envelope in my mother's seed stash - must've been given to her by someone on my allotment, but she can't remember who or when.

They are small and cream coloured, must be French, but not sure whether dwarf or tall.

Only a few look viable, but I thought I might grow them out just to see. 

Is that worthwhile?

Thanks.

Yes, give them a go  Someone liked them enough to save them and pass them on   
Sorry I've not heard of them either, hope they do well 

Quote from: Jayb on May 01, 2014, 09:17:49
Yes, give them a go  Someone liked them enough to save them and pass them on   
Sorry I've not heard of them either, hope they do well 

Got to love a mystery 

Don't know any beans with that name either.  Perhaps somebody got them from Britanny and swapped most likely.  Often a foreign unpronounceable name gets changed into a more generic name when people talk about a variety and that easier name sticks.

Yes, definitely grow them.  I would start in modules for the best chance to get something growing.  Should they turn out to be climbing, it is not difficult to place a few tall sticks among them.

Good luck with them 

I ordered runner bean "White Lady" via the internet, and was surprised to receive a small packet from Hong Kong.....it contains tiny cream coloured beans that are definitely not runners, much too small. I am starting them off simply to see what they do, and hoping they are not things that will not grow in UK. The packet claims they are runner "White Lady". Has this happened to anyone else?

Quote from: artichoke on May 01, 2014, 10:28:17
I ordered runner bean "White Lady" via the internet, and was surprised to receive a small packet from Hong Kong.....it contains tiny cream coloured beans that are definitely not runners, much too small. I am starting them off simply to see what they do, and hoping they are not things that will not grow in UK. The packet claims they are runner "White Lady". Has this happened to anyone else?

Not as such, but many English speaking countries (USA included) call Climbing French Beans 'Runner beans'.

I guess you may have a Climbing French Bean.  However, coming from the hotter climates of Hong Kong it may also be a climbing form of vicia unguiculata or another exotic bean.  Is there a latin botanical name on the seed packet by any chance?

<<  Is there a latin botanical name on the seed packet by any chance? >>

No such luck - blank except for "Runner bean - White Lady".

But they are germinating strongly in my damp cloth, so I shall pot them up this afternoon.

Good luck with your mystery beans, both 

If they are rather roundish and creamy white, I am going to take a stab and say they may be a Coco de Paimpol. These are very popular in this area (Brittany!) and you actually eat them as a half-dried seed bean. They produce quite a short plant and you can tell them from a French bean as the pods are wider. Leave them until the pods start to yellow and the bean has swelled inside and you eat them as a shelly bean. Cook as you would a dried bean but with  no pre soaking. Here they love them as part of a casserole of lamb or pork.

My Hong Kong beans I now believe to be Vigna unguiculata, as suggested by  Galina. If they are the "yard long" beans, it is disappointing, as I have tried these before and they never got beyond the medium seedling stage because they need hot damp weather. Still, I have put them into pots and will see what happens.

Antipodes, if your post is to me, I think my beans are probably not Coco de Paimpol because they have a dark eye. C de P sound delicious!

Thanks all

Those Coco de Paimpol look fabulous Antipodes, having had a look at some photos and now I want some of those too, but they're much fatter and rounder than my mystery beans.

I'll grow them and see....as suggested (mysteries are full of promise) and maybe do some light detective work around the allotments.

Those cocos de paimpol sound like exactly the kind of bean I'm looking to grow ... like a white borlotti bean?

Do you know if they're climbing plants or dwarf Antipodes?  It looks like any seeds will have to be brought in from France as I can't find any UK suppliers.

Quote from: squeezyjohn on May 02, 2014, 12:49:24
Those cocos de paimpol sound like exactly the kind of bean I'm looking to grow ... like a white borlotti bean?

Do you know if they're climbing plants or dwarf Antipodes?  It looks like any seeds will have to be brought in from France as I can't find any UK suppliers.

Thomas Etty.. http://www.thomasetty.co.uk/seeds/veg-flower-2014.pdf has variety called 'lazy house wife or white coco' that has quite good size white seeds. Although they are usually used as 'green bean' I grow them for their seeds. They have them in climbing and as drawf types. I suspect they could be similar to de paimpol....though I'm not familiar with it neither.

Antipodes....you have business opportunity here for exporting them out of country...

I just read about this...
http://www.cookipedia.co.uk/recipes_wiki/White_bean
..and although we might not get that exact coco de paimpol variety here..there is plenty of very similar varieties around.

Quote from: antipodes on May 02, 2014, 10:01:13
If they are rather roundish and creamy white, I am going to take a stab and say they may be a Coco de Paimpol. These are very popular in this area (Brittany!) and you actually eat them as a half-dried seed bean. They produce quite a short plant and you can tell them from a French bean as the pods are wider. Leave them until the pods start to yellow and the bean has swelled inside and you eat them as a shelly bean. Cook as you would a dried bean but with  no pre soaking. Here they love them as part of a casserole of lamb or pork.

Ah, that sounds about right. I grew some Coco De Paimpol a couple of years ago and from what I remember they were dwarf type with lovely tasty beans. I was sent the seeds in a swap, they came from a French market. The seeds do look very similar in size and shape to the Lazy Housewife beans I have, though they are a climbing type. Another seed very similar in size and shape is Coco Sophie - a climber with long flat pods. I've only very few Coco De Paimpol seeds saved so can't offer them now, but I'll try and grow them out for seed and hopefully offer some later in the year if anyone is interested.

Quote from: squeezyjohn on May 02, 2014, 12:49:24
Those cocos de paimpol sound like exactly the kind of bean I'm looking to grow ... like a white borlotti bean?

Do you know if they're climbing plants or dwarf Antipodes?  It looks like any seeds will have to be brought in from France as I can't find any UK suppliers.

I'm pretty sure they are a Dop (protected designation of origin) variety or is it Aop? Unlikely to find them as seeds for sowing but you might find some of the beans dried for eating?
The ones I've grown were I think dwarf.

I've just been doing some googling... ..and found some foodshop in Sheffield that bring them in country when they are in season. Hmm..I wonder if they would be mature enough for sowing on for following year....
Ohh...antipodes....look what you have now started ....

    

I grew them once. They are a dwarf variety and produce a small and stocky plant, like a Borlotti but the pods are greener, with just a few streaks  of colouring. You can let them completely dry or eat them half-dried. You can get them from French seed sites like Willemse or Vilmorin. Bean seeds are relatively expensive here though, for some reason.