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Bush Bean/ Dry Bean
Why do we like this bean?
This is an ancient bean from the Andes region of South America (where it is called Canario). The beans are beautiful shades of ivory-yellow to gentle-yellow to bright-yellow, like a Canary bird. The plants are a compact 18 inches tall and easy to grow. These thin-skinned beans hold their shape in cooking and work well in soups, stews and on their own. They have a creamy, buttery texture.
A bit more:
Taking things to another level, planting beans named after a songbird reminds us of the full-circle experience that gardening is. In “The Magic of Songbirds”, Sherrie Versiuis (2024) writes:
“The feeling of working with the earth and revelling in that connection with nature activates all of our senses. The feel of the soil in our hands, the smell of the earth, the taste of the fresh air, the view of the blue sky above us and the sounds that soothe our soul. The most prominent sounds are the music of precious songbirds.”
She explains that humans hear in the range from 20 to 20,000 Hz, “and because bird songs have frequencies ranging from 1,000 to 8,000 Hz, we find pleasure in birdsong which hits the ‘sweet spot’ of human hearing”. And it goes even deeper than that:
“These sounds [bird songs] produce electromagnetic sound vibrations on our brain and health. Studies using electroencephalography (EEG) to measure the effects of these ‘positive frequencies’ on the human body show incredible benefits, including considerable reductions in stress, strain, blood pressure, and heart and respiration rates. On days spent listening to beneficial frequencies for prolonged periods, people experienced better sleep, concentration and focus, and just an overall relaxed demeanour.”
A day in the garden can be so rewarding. Let the joy of planting beans and listening to birdsong fill your soul.
How to Plant: Plant bean seeds in the spring when the soil warms up. For us that is the end of May. Space seeds 3 inches or so apart and sow 1 inch or so deep. Thin to 6 inches apart once seedlings are up. You can also start bean seeds indoors about 2-3 weeks before you want to plant them outside to get a head start on things.
How to Pick Dry Beans: Pick beans when the pods are dry on the plant. All of our dry bean varieties have to reliably dry down by around Sept 15 (when we risk getting frost) and this one does. However, if there is a frost threatening and your beans still need time to dry, pick the pods and bring them inside to dry. They are ready as dry beans when the pods are ‘crunchy’ dry. Shell and use.
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Versiuis, Sherrie (2024). The Magic of Songbirds. In The Prairie Gardener, 86th Annual Edition. TPG Publications.
