That is suppose to say "Please take a PEEK", Not "pee". Will I ever learn to pay attention??? :-) Carrie

>and I think you'll see that they are known almost everywhere, not just here in the NE. I didn't mean to imply otherwise, Carolyn. If I did, I apologize. What I meant, merely, was that historically Soldier and, to a lesser extent, Yellow Eye are associated more with New England. Indeed, in old-time New England recipes for baked beans, when they said "bean" they meant either Soldier or Cranberry more times than not. Jacobs Cattle was another popular choice when a meatier bean was preferred. Yellow Eye was _the_ bean of choice in Maine. There are, too, numerous variations on the themes. As noted, there is a Southern Soldier that has black markings instead of red. Recently I came into a varient that has dark mahogany markings; so deep I thought it was black (but I also have a red/green deficiency) until corrected by Friend Wife and others. This mahogany Soldier comes from Western Kentucky where, at one time, it was commercially available simply as Soldier. There is a Vermont Yellow Eye, which may or may not be the same bean as the Maine Yellow Eye. And a plain old Yellow Eye which, again, may or may not be the same bean. There is also a Yellow Eye from the southwest, which is a different bean altogether. In the recipe section of his book, John Withee has about a dozen recipes for baked beans. Most of them merely specify "dry beans," without a varietal preference. But it's interesting that under "John Withee's Baked Beans" he specifies Jacob's Cattle (another bean associted with New England), Yellow Eye, or Soldier beans. And in "Grandma's Home Baked Beans" he specifies Soldier. While baked beans tend to be associated with the north, in the south dry beans were primarily used to make soup and to be barbequed. Unfortunately, among old timers (particularly in the mountains), any smallish, light colored dry beans were collectively known simply as "soup beans." Sometimes there was a variety grown just for that purpose. But just as often they merely let their main crop dry and used that as a soup bean. So, whereas we can easily identify the preferred choices for baked beans (even within subregions), it is much more difficult to do that with soup beans.

I'm interested in a trading for many of the varieties on your seed list. I have a few that you might like as well. Feel free to look at my seed list and let me know if there is anything that you are interested in trading. I'm interested in these varieties: Snow Pea: Mangetout Carouby Snow Pea: Snowflake Leek: Carentan Leek: Lincoln Kohlrabi: Kongo Tomato: Green Sausage Carrot: Purple Dragon, Oxheart Basil: Lemon Fino Fennel I'll send you these in the trade or any others you want from my list: Pea: blue pod capucijners Pea: prussian blue Bean: tobacco worm bean (pole snap bean) Bean: calypso (dry bush bean) Bean: vermont cranberry (dry bush bean) Rapini: cima di rapa quarantina - broccoli rabe Lettuce: bath cos Lettuce: forellenschluss Tomato: black plum Tomato: heidi

If you can find them labeled Butterscotch Calypso Beans, then it is highly probable that they are the same as what you would get from a seed dealer. The only doubt might be as to their freshness. But I bet if would be worth purchasing some and doing a germination test. I'd give it a try. George Tahlequah, OK