Öland Swedish Brown bean
$4.00
(Phaseolus vulgaris)
Stout short bushes produce lots of small, plump, golden-brown seeds which taste wonderfully satisfying. This variety has been grown on the island of Öland, off the southeastern corner of Sweden, where bruna bönor have been being grown since the mid-1600s, and this type has been grown since at least 1885. Boarded on the Slow Food Foundation’s Ark of Taste, where they note that Öland actually has four varieties of these beans; unfortunately I do not know which one this is.
Out of stock
Plant after last frost; soil must be warm or seed will rot. If growing on corn, wait to plant until corn is about 3” tall, or two weeks after corn is planted. Darker coloured seeds usually germinate better in cooler soil. Sow 1” deep. Space bush beans 2-4” apart and pole beans in pairs 8” apart, with 8” between pairs if climbing twine, or in groups of 3-4 around single poles 1’ apart. Pick green beans before seeds start swelling, shelly beans when seeds are full size but before pods dry, and dry beans when pods are fully dry; seed must be dry enough to not dent with a fingernail for storage. Dry beans can be further dried on a tarp, then threshed by dancing on them and winnowing away the chaff.