Acoording to Seeds of Diversity, this is a quite rare bean.(http://seeds.ca/hpd/cvdetail.php?species=Bean&cultivar=Duane+baptiste+potato) Apparently Salts Springs use to vend it as did http://www.enscseeds.org/nativeseed/
and Abundant Life Foundation but I have not found any current listings.

Several people over the years have listed it at SSE in the bush dry bean section. Currently just Will Bonsall has it. Another member listed it in 2000 and wrote "resembles Cannellini, excellent large shell bean, has a hint of potato flavor, great for soup, very productive." He mentioned that he got it from Salt Spring Seeds there in BC. - Dick

Thanks for the information, I will pass it on. I'll ask Dan if they still have it, probably not tho... This is another bean we would like to bring back from the brink if at all possible. If anyone does have it and could spare a few seeds it would be much appreciated.

Annette

I contacted Salt Spring Seeds and they no longer have it. I have also contacted the Seeds of Diversity member that used to offer it and she no longer has it either.

Brightmeadow

I doubt this is the same bean, but I found this in Heritage Harvest's page: http://heritageharvestseed.com/beansce.html#deseronto

It could be the same other another name...

Apparently Duane Baptiste Potato Beans are a different potato bean than the one listed at Heritage Harvest Seed. Looks like another bean fast disappearing from the scene.

Annette

Thank God for a company like Heritage Harvest though, I've been going through their catalog and I haven't seen a single other source, Canadian or American, for more than half of those seeds. I'm ordering a bunch today :)

Duane Baptiste Potato Bean looks promising. I have it on my list to order when the SSE Yearbook comes out in February. - Dick

Looks like I found them, they were on Synergy Seeds 2010 list. I emailed, they do still have them so the search is over. They have lots of other goodies too, worth a look.

Annette

I was going to start a thread on bean seed companies, but I have pick up 5 names here & a new bean on this thread.
Thanks,jolj

Good to see this variety isn't dead! I'd be interested in tasting it.

It looks like "Duane Baptiste Potato" is another "at risk" variety in need of greater preservation. Good thing George at Synergy still has it. I wish I could grow it, but my plate's pretty full right now... still, I'll probably order some & put it in the freezer for safe keeping.

I grow duane baptiste beans Aka potato beans Aka deseronto beans. They are an indigenous pole bean variety. They are extremely rare as they were cultivated only by the Mohawk Indians of the Mohawk valley area prior to 1784. After which they were brought into present day Canada by those Mohawk indians specifically to tyendinaga Ontario. This is where they aquired their first English name of deseronto bean As the abundance of them were cultivated by the mohawk band under the leadership of captain John deseronto. The next name was a acquired when a man from the same village ( tyendinaga ) by the name of duNe baptiste was noted for his special cultivations and distribution of these beans. Still with no official English name they aquird his name, Duane baptiste beans. This variety has always remained local aside from a few people acquiring a handful of seeds to grow.
Even more now very few people of our own nation even grow this bean if any other of our indigenous Mohawk varieties of food. It is very sad indeed needs to be embraced as in all honesty they are the very reason my one of us are here today, native and non native alike.
I personally grow many of these varieties And am willing to share my knowledge of these items. Please, let's discuss.

thonawayen, so you are saying Duane Baptiste and Deseronto are the same bean, I was under the impression they were different varieties.
Thank you for giving us this little bit of history on them, it is a very rare bean and it is very hard to find.
Hopefully with more people growing these old heirlooms the less chance they'll get lost forever.

Annette

Hello thonawayen. Deseronto was last listed in the SSE 2008 yearbook with this comment: a.k.a. Potato Bean, half-runner type, short fat pods with small roundish white seeds which are soft enough to be mashed like potatoes, very rare.

Duane Baptiste Potato Bean is listed in 2012 but the one offering it does not give any description. Entries from earliler years describe it having large seeds that do not need to be soaked before cooking. - Dick

I just bought both 'Duane Baptiste' and 'Deseronto', one of them (seed) looks a little fatter than the other but roughly the same size. Since this is such a rare bean my main interest in it is to get it back into circulation. I have already shared the seed I have with others who can grow them out in larger numbers.
My grow list for this year seems to be changing daily, several beans I had planned to grow have already been put on the back burner, a few more have been added just for seed and maybe a taste if I'm lucky.
I wasn't planning on growing them this year but I will grow a few 'Deseronto' and 'Duane Baptiste' just to see the differences if any.

Annette

I have potato bean seeds leftover from last year...and I could swear I'd gotten them from Baker Creek. There was no real description about its origin that I recall. The amazing size/texture of them alone will ensure them a grow-out every year in my garden! If anyone wants more info I can always check and see if they are in from BC, though I don't see them on their site any more. These are really cool beans and worth saving for sure!

I only grew one plant of both Duane Baptiste and Deseronto potato beans to compare, yes they are different varieties, the plant growth was about the same but the pod length and the seed is different. I didn't think to take a picture of the pods but the picture below shows the slight differences in the seed, the Duane Baptiste on the left is a little smaller and a different shape.

Hi Annette. I grew a patch of Duane Baptiste Potato bean. They looked a bit like a white kidney bean. Flavor and texture were very good. I don't suppose you cooked any....

Dick, no I didn't cook any I only had a couple of seeds. Maybe next year if I can find the space. How did you cook yours?
I gave most of the seed I had to someone to grow out and eventually list them. The more people growing this bean the less chance it will disappear.

Annette

Just the usual. Steam them, add butter, salt and pepper.