Tarahumara Pink Green Bean

16 years ago

Just thought I'd post a picture of this bean. The Tarahumara Pink Green Bean was given to me by the late Mark Futterman of Berkley, CA. It's roots are with the Tarahumara Indians, in Mexico.

I've grown this bean in Hidalgo, Mexico; in the high desert (at the 20th parallel), in Jackson, NJ, and here in Tahlequah, OK. It is day length sensitive. But it has never failed to make seed for me. Mark Futterman commented, when he sent me the seed, that it was one of the most vigorous plants he had, and that it always produced late in the season. Here in Tahlequah, this one only begins flowering in September. Yet, by the time we had a killing frost, it was LOADED with dry seed.

The snaps, when very young, are the sweetest of any snap bean I've ever tried. I think they'd be good for eating raw with a dip. They are stringless. But don't let that designation fool you. That only means that they don't have strings. They get tough very quickly and the pods take on a woody quality. It matures seed quickly, and the beans are very easy to shell. I've tried them as shellies, and they are good. We have never cooked them for dry beans. But I'm sure they'll cook up like a kidney bean or a pinto.

As I mentioned in another thread, this one is my "daughter's heirloom." Since we lived so many years in Mexico, she latched on to this one, back in 2002, during our first gardening year back in the USA. It's part of Mexico, and hence, she feels like it is part of her life. She remembers us growing it in Hidalgo.

In Hidalgo it grew like a normal pole bean, attaining a height of about 7'. But in the USA, everywhere we've grown it, the vines are absolutely rampant. I don't know how tall they'd get, if given the support.

We nearly lost this one, since I was letting my daughter keep the seed. I skipped a year or two, in growing it, and when I decided to grow it, I discovered that she had lost the more recent seed, and only had an old jar. That seed had expired. But this year, I dug up 2 (2) seeds, loose, in the bottom of a seed drawer. I thought they might be the Tarahumara Pink Green bean, so I planted them on a pole in the garden. I started them on June 5. By the middle of August I had to add another pole to support the vines. They overgrew both poles and swamped two adjacent tomato plants in 5'cages.

In the end, we harvested about 3 1/2 quarts of dry seed. This is WAY more seed, per plant, than most beans. With most pole beans I expect about a quart to a quart and a half of seed for 6-8 plants on a tripod. So this one is a good one for production of dry seed.

Okay. I have to go. Work went well this week. Thanks for your prayers.

George

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Macmex
Original Author

16 years ago

That's the bean. I suspected it came from them, but hadn't tried to look it up on their site.

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Comments (7)

Okiedawn OK Zone 7
16 years ago
George,

As I was reading about the bean, and especially when I looked at the photo, I kept thinking "I've seen this bean before....". Since it had the word Tarahumara in its name, I went to the Native Seed/SEARCH website to see if they had it listed among the dozens of bean varieties they maintain. Not surprisingly, there it was.

I've linked their photo/description of the bean they sell as Tarahumara Pink Green Bean. I suspect it is the same bean.

I'm glad you got a lot of seed this year, and now I have one more bean variety to add to my list of varieties I want to try. That bean variety list is starting to get as long as my tomato variety list.

I'm glad the first week at the new job went well.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Tarahumara Pink Green Bean at Native Seed SEARCH
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mulberryknob
16 years ago
So pretty. And glad that you found a job so quickly. I'm praying that it will work into something permanent.

And on another topic. How did the asparagus do? I have been a bit worried about yours and the other man's (especially his) as it turned so cold so quickly after transplanting. But if it doesn't make it, there will be more in the spring. I'm hopeing you got it mulched in time to protect it. We covered ours with leaves and torn newspaper. after building a minifence just to keep them in place
Macmex
Original Author
16 years ago
We got ours in and mulched before the cold hit. It should be fine. Thanks.

This custodial job only pays 1/3 of what I probably need to pay all the bills. But it may work into something better. I know, I've been told, that I will almost certainly be taken on, on a permanent basis, by January. That means the addition of health benefits. Our custodial crew is a "colorful bunch." I'm having a good time with them. And, of course, it just "feels good" to be working.

George
Susan Levy
11 years ago
I have a pink bean some one said it was a Jade bean . I have never grown this has anyone here
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
11 years ago
Susan, If you have pink bean seed, then it isn't Jade. The seed of the original Jade bean is a pale green. The seed of the improved Jade, marketed as Jade II, is white. It is possible that whoever gave you the bean seed may have been growing Jade and saved seeds themselves. Since the seed is pink, that indicates that insect-caused cross-pollination occurred. I've grown Jade here and it grows and produces just fine. Most beans produce well here as long as they are planted at the proper time so they have time to produce beans before the real summer heat sets in and causes the blossoms to drop before beans form. That sort of heat usually doesn't arrive until June or July depending on what the weather is doing in any given year.

Dawn
Susan Levy
11 years ago
i have another bean which is light green with no name so i will grow it out . what else do you grow i love beans