skip to main content

Beans, Peas & Legumes

Source for 'Alabama Black Beans'?

12 years ago

My friend (in his 70s) asked me if I could track down a bean for him - he remembers it from his twenties - "Alabama Black Beans". From what he describes, it sounds like it might be a shell type bean. I did find Alabama Black Butterbean, but thought I'd ask if anyone has a memory of a smaller non-lima type bean?

Thanks!

Cindy

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (11)

dlsm
12 years ago
Hi Cindy,

I purchased some of those seed and they will be ready to eat in a few weeks. They are the pole variety. In the south a lot of folks call everything butter bean. About all we called lima, was the fordhook, when I grew up as a kid.

Luther
0
fusion_power
12 years ago
You are probably looking for Alabama #1 Pole Bean.

"Alabama 1 - Breeder: Alabama Polytechnic Inst., Auburn. Vendor: Asgrow. Parentage: locally adapted farm garden stocks. Characteristics: pole bean with slender, smooth, deep root system; large yielder, almost round pods, between 7-8" in length. Resistance: hot weather, root knot; partially resistant to rust. Similar: Ideal Market. Adaptation: southern United States. Southern Seedsman 1&endash;38, 2&endash;44. 1938."

Sandhill Preservation will have fresh seed after I finish harvesting in about 2 months.

DarJones
0
Related Discussions
Black Turtle Beans, how do they grow
Q
Comments (2)
A google search says they are bush-type beans: Black Turtle Bean Origin: Central America Item #: BUSHBEAN004 The Black Turtle Bean, also known as Black Beans, Turtle Beans, Black Spanish Beans, Tampico Beans, and Venezuelan Beans are becoming more and more popular every year, in part due to immigration from Latin American countries where the Black Turtle Bean is so widely used in soups, stews, sauces, for sprouts and much more. Black Turtle Beans are used dried, which was originally due to the fact they could be stored for up to a year and provided a good source of protein in the winter months back in the old days. As Black Turtle Beans are originally native to South America (and were introduced to the United States in the late 1700's), they require a long, warm season to perform well. The plant of the Black Turtle Bean is a hardy bush-type plant that is very disease resistant and handles drought and heat very well. The beans themselves are small (about the size of the common Garden Pea), of an oval shape and have a very beautiful, jet-black coloration with a cream colored interior with a sweet., earthy taste. Mature in 90 to 120 days. Apparently the plant is between 18-24" tall. PV
...See More
Black-seeded pole beans for soup, pls
Q
Comments (23)
No Gautam, I haven't noticed that. However, it was pretty common knowledge, wherever we lived in Mexico, that beans that were more recently harvested cooked more easily. They don't have to boil in order to soften. One way we've cooked beans, when not in any hurry is to bring them up to boiling, cover, turn off the heat, and let them set for about a hour. Then we'd turn the heat back on and cook. I can't remember just how much longer we'd cook them. But they cooked up as if they had been on the heat even for that hour, when in fact they weren't. Also, for anyone who doesn't know it. The best way I know, to tell if a bean is properly done, is to spoon it out of the pot hot, and blow on it. If the bean's skin splits, it's done to perfection! Some people in the USA have told me that they can't cook beans; that they've tried, but that they never get soft. More often than not it's not their fault. They got hold of old beans which may have sat on the shelf for a long time. Those beans sometimes won't soften properly, not matter how long one cooks them. I don't know how well it works. But some Mexican friends have told me that such old beans can be softened if you hang'em in a sack, under the drip line of your house's roof and let them absorb water a day or two before you try cooking them. George PS. Tlatlauqui is at 7500 feet altitude. The place receives about 11 feet of precipitation a year because it is on the Eastern slope of the Sierra Madre Oriente mountains, at just the right place to catch the warm moist air coming off the Veracruz coast. Everything is green and beautiful, especially when the sun comes out. But there were definitely challenges for gardening and for human health.
...See More
Online bean and string bean sources?
Q
Comments (3)
If you can find the kind of beans you want in a supermarket you might be able to grow them. I looked at some online seed vendors and they wanted $45 a pound for Black Soybean seeds. You can buy the same dried beans in a Korean market for $2 a pound as food and they will grow. I tested them and got 100% germination.
...See More
NEW: Beans, Beans, Beans Swap
Q
Comments (73)
I am truly THRILLED with my package selection! Thanks so very much for hosting and taking such care choosing varieties for everyone. You did a fantastic job! :) (I need to move near Gary tho... wow, I would love to see that sort of harvest going on! ) :)) ~Wendy
...See More
cindy_eatonton
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you Luther! My "Yankee" is showing - I never even heard of butterbeans before moving to GA (from Mass.) I love them, but think of them as a variety of lima... Better scratch that notion. I would love to hear what you think of the Alabama Black Butterbean.

Dar - thank you! I think you are right that this is what I am looking for! I will definitely order some of those for next year - I would love to surprise Tommy with those beans. Good chance I'll like them too. Am having a banner year with most beans!

thank you both!
Cindy
0
farmerdill
12 years ago
Cindy; Butterbean is a colloquial/regional name. To an old southerner, it means a baby lima. To folks in the midwest along the Mississippi valley, the giant limas like King of the Garden, Calico, Big Six etc are butterbeans. All of them including Fordhooks, Baby Fordhooks, and Dixie Butterpeas are P lunatus.
Dar and Zeedman are the experts. I was aware of Alabama #1, but thought it was extinct. They have been very good at reintroducing varieties that have fallen into disuse.
0
cindy_eatonton
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you FarmerDill - isn't language fascinating? And thanks for the description of butterpeas - I was going to ask about those - wasn't sure where to find them.

I love the idea of keeping old varieties alive - hopefully I can try Alabama #1 next year. I think I am going to run out of space...

Thanks again!
Cindy
0
farmerdill
12 years ago
Dixie Butterpeas are different, closest to them is the Baby Fordhook. They are not flat like most limas, but almost as thick as they are long. Most local seed and feeds in Georgia will carry either the white or speckled butterpeas.
{{gwi:94939}}
0
fusion_power
12 years ago
Farmerdill, There is quite a story about the Alabama #1 beans. I got seed from a woman in NorthEast Alabama who happened to share a garden with my sister. Long story short, she got them from a former professor at Auburn and had been maintaining the stock for the last 30+ years.

DarJones
0
farmerdill
12 years ago
Interesting Dar. I have been sporadically looking for Dade a number of years. No luck yet.
"Dade (SES no.1) - Breeder: Sub-Tropical Expt. Sta., Homestead, Florida. Parentage: Florigreen x McCaslan. Characteristics: pole bean, vigorous, high yield, long straight pods. Resistance: rust, common and southern bean mosaic, intumescence. Similar: McCaslan. Adaptation: southern United States. Florida Expt. Sta. Circ. S-142. 1962."
0
fusion_power
12 years ago
Bill Best has Dade. http://www.heirlooms.org/

DarJones
0
jolj
12 years ago
How are these Alabama Black Beans different from the Jungle Black butter beans ?
0
dlsm
12 years ago
jo1j, I think they are talking about the Alabama black green bean/snapbean. But here is a picture of a Alabama black butter bean and a picture of Black jungle butter beans shelled.

Alabama black butter bean

Black jungle butter bean

I grew both and they taste great. I will grow them again next year.

Luther
0

Related Stories

COLORFUL HOMES My Houzz: Colorful and Clever DIY Touches Fill an Alabama Farmhouse

By Corynne Pless

Antiques, repurposed items and a whole lotta hard work give a family home cheery, personable style

SUMMER FRUITS AND VEGETABLES Summer Crops: How to Grow Beans

By Marianne Lipanovich

Grow your own beans for amazing variety and healthy, convenient produce all summer

GARDENING GUIDES 10 Easy Edibles for First-Time Gardeners

By Marianne Lipanovich

Focus on these beginner-friendly vegetables, herbs, beans and salad greens to start a home farm with little fuss

GARDENING GUIDES Do You Have This Invasive Plant in Your Yard?

By Pollination Press LLC

Garlic mustard is spreading across the U.S. Here’s how to spot it and what to do

HOUZZ TOURS My Houzz: Casual, Thoughtful Design for a 1920s Bungalow

A couple turn a neglected, run-down home into a charming, comfortable place to raise their 4 children

KITCHEN DESIGN Simple Pleasures: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

By Laura Gaskill

Slugging down any old sludge while pulling on socks is no way to start the day. Learn to brew amazing java and savor the experience here

GARDENING GUIDES Essential Watering Tips for Your Edible Garden

By Marianne Lipanovich

To give your edible plants just what they need, check out these guidelines for how, when and how much to water

DECORATING GUIDES 41 Great Gifts for Home Decor

By Becky Harris

Houzz Gift Guide 2010: Color, Fun and Style for the Rooms We Use Most

GARDENING GUIDES These Hummingbird-Attracting Native Plants May Surprise You

By Susan J Tweit

These flowers, vines and shrubs offer shelter and food supplies that keep hummingbirds around longer

GARDENING GUIDES Lush, Foodie Abundance in a Small Urban Garden

This modest backyard garden provides its owner with fruit and vegetables all year round, thanks to an innovative low-maintenance approach

Sponsored

Ngrained Woodworks

4 Reviews

Custom Woodworking, Décor, and More in Franklin County