image of Cupidon Fillet beans

Cupidon Fillet

Grown In 2021

Bush Snap. Of European origin. Possibly of some more recent breeding work there. Donated by Jenny Blaser of Little Chute, Wisconsin 2021

image of Danish Cat beans

Danish Cat

Grown In '18 & 2023

Bush Dry. This bean is another one of those adventures in your garden. I’ve grown it once in 2018 and it produced a number of seed coats. An outcross from Vivi Logan of Copenhagen, Denmark 2017

image of Dead Man’s Tooth beans

Dead Man’s Tooth

Grown In '21 & 2023

Bush Dry. My seed donor is from Marion, Iowa, 2017. One of the many bean varieties brought back to the U.S. by Joseph Simcox “The Botanical Explorer”. Beans origin said to be Italy.

image of Dean Family Greasy Cutshort beans

Dean Family Greasy Cutshort

Grown In '22,'23 & 2024

Pole. Acquired this bean at the Central Indiana Seed Swap in Nobelsville, Indiana February 2020. The grower of this bean is Bill Best of Berea, Kentucky.

image of Deep Orange Tepary beans

Deep Orange Tepary

Grown In 2019

Bush-Dry-Tepary. Southwest adapted to the low desert climate with very little rain. Seed donor from Potter Valley, California 2013.

image of Del Angelo Imperia beans

Del Angelo

Grown In '15,'20,'22 & 2023

Pole Dry. Comes from my seed donor in Valpiano, Italy, 2019. Joseph Simcox had collected this bean once in Genoa, Italy in a seed collecting excursion through that country.

image of Deuil Fin Precoce beans

Deuil Fin Precoce

Grown In ?

Bush. My seed donor is from Willich, Germany, 2019. French variety released in 1958. Grows staright green pods splash and streaked with purple markings. Can be eaten young as a snap bean.

image of DH-16 beans

DH-16

Grown In 2021

Bush Dry. My seed donor is from Drevhostic, Czech Republic 2019.

image of Diamont beans

Diamont

Grown In 2023

Pole Dry. From my bean trading friend in Liebenfels, Austria 2018 who made a purchase of a variety of bean from Sarconi seed company in Italy. Upon grow out of the Sarconi variety she found this bean.

image of Dixie Speckled Butterpea beans

Dixie Speckled Butterpea

Grown In 2024

Bush Lima. Small plump lima about the size of a pea. Very productive highly branched plants. 70 days for shellie beans and about 90 days for start of dry beans.

image of Donald Todd Half Runner beans

Donald Todd Half Runner

Grown In ?

Semi Runner. Tender snap bean. One of the many beans of Remy Orlowski’s (deceased) Sample Seed Shop through a gift of Karen Golden of Highland, Michigan. This bean has been grown and save for many years by Donald Todd father of Steve Todd in Tennessee.

image of Doty India #1 beans

Doty India #1

Grown In 2023

Pole Snap. My seed donor is Karen Golden, Highland, Michigan, 2018. This bean is likely a variety that Joseph Simcox brought back on a seed collecting excursion.

image of Doti Dotion beans

Doty Indian

Grown In ?

Pole Dry. Perhaps it’s name would suggest it’s country of origin. A Joeph Simcox collected bean comes to me via Karen Golden of Higland, Michigan in 2020

image of Doti Dotion beans

Doti Dotion

Grown in 2014

Pole Dry. My seed donor is from Marion, Iowa, 2017. Beans origin is Ijevan, Aremenia.

image of Dow Purple Pod beans

Dow Purple Pod

Grown In 2022

Pole Snap. Seed donor from Potter Valley, California claims this bean is one of the fastest growing varieties in the world. Rare variety originates from the state of Illinois.

image of Dr. Martin’s Lima beans

Dr. Martin’s

All Seed Is Out To Grower

Pole Lma. The bean was developed in the 1920's by a Dr. Harold E. Martin, a Philadelphia dentist. Born in Philadelphia on March 2, 1888. He was also the developer of the true black Brandywine tomato. A hard to find variety that has nearly died out. Said to produce vines that are 16 to 20 feet long.

image of Drabo beans

Drabo

Grown In 2024

Bush Dry. Country of origin is Switzerland. Plants are bushy and produce beans that a shorter cooking requirement.

image of Duane Baptiste beans

Duane Baptiste

Grown In '16,’17 & 2019

Bush Dry. Grows without runners. Old Six Nations bean traditionally used as a thickener in corn soup. Original seed donor from Guthrie, Kentucky 2016

image of Dule beans

Dule

Grown In ?

Pole. Use and country of orign unknown. Given to me by Joseph Simcox “The Botanical Explorer” in 2015.

image of Duro Cranberry beans

Duro Cranberry

Grown In 2016

Bush Dry. Another Croatian grown bean without any particular identifying name. The beans first part of it's name is the first name of it's donor from Nasice, Croatia in 2014

image of Dutch Bullet beans

Dutch Bullet

Grown In 2022

Bush Dry. Likely a synomyn name for a bean called Walcherse Bruine Kogel. A Walcheren bean that originates in the Netherlands. Walcheren is a region and former island in the Dutch provence of Zeeland. The bean was originally acquired from a Seed Savers Exchange member in Oregon and grown out in 2022 for the first time by Meadow. One of my network growers in the state of Washington.

image of Etna beans

Etna

Grown In 2023

Bush Dry. Productive true bush in habit. Resistant to common bean mosaic. Developed by David Webster while employed by Asgrow Seed Company and released in 1987. My seed donor is from Latvia 2020.

image of Evolutie beans

Evolutie

Grown In '16,'19 & 2022

Bush. One of the many beans brought back to the U.S. by Joseph Simcox "The Botanical Explorer". Country of origin France.

image of Fa Lan Dou beans

Fa Lan Dou

Grown In '17 & 2018

Bush. Said to be a dry bean by my Seed Savers Exchange donor which I acquired in 2011. A possible acquistion of the bean from the USDA and country of orgin is Hungary.

image of  Fagiolo Di Angelo Impenia beans

Fagiolo Di Angelo Impenia

Grown In ’20,’21 & 2023

Pole Dry. My seed donor is Karen Golden of Highland, Michigan, 2018. This bean of a slight one letter difference in the spelling was likely collected by Joseph Simcox. Country of origin Italy.

image of Fagiolo Ruviotti beans

Fagiolo Ruviotti

Grown In '17,'19 & 2023

Pole. Another of the beans acquired overseas by Joseph Simcox. No doubting by it's name that the country of origin would be Italy. Gifted to me by Joseph in 2015.

image of Fairy Crutchfield beans

Fairy Crutchfield

Grown In 2023

Bush-Dry. Old cranberry bean from the 1930’s. The bean was acquired from Remy Orlowski’s (deceased) Sample Seed Shop seed collection as a gift from Karen Golden “Michigan Heirlooms” of Highland Michigan.

image of Family beans

Family

Grown In 2018

Bush-Dry. A shell bean as it's main use. I've seen this bean traded in the Seed Savers Exchange yearbook as far back as the 1980's. Have never known anything of it's actual origin. Seems very similar to Grandma's Shell. My donor is Will Bonsall of Industry, Maine 2015.

image of Fanomen beans

Fanomen

Grown in 2015

Pole. My seed donor from Potter Valley, California 2013. Many varieties with this same seed coat color and pattern.

image of Fat Man beans

Fat Man

Grown In 2023

Pole Snap. An old heirloom variety. The bean is well documented as having been grown in Virginia and West Virginia for over a century. Heavy producer of tender green 5 inch pods.

image of Fawcett’s Pole beans

Fawcett’s Pole

Grown In 2021

Pole Dry. Donated to me by Tamara Clement of Sudbury, Ontario, Canada 2021.

image of Feijao Catarino beans

Feijao Catarino

Grown In '13 & 2019

Pole Dry. This name traces to a bean that looks exactly like this one. Country of origin Portugal. Also from my South Africa seed donor in 2013.

image of Feijao Preto Brasileito beans

Feijao Preto Brasileito

Grown In '13,'15 & 2022

Bush-Dry. My seed donor is from South Africa. Very productive variety that I have grown. Country of origin Brazil.

image of Ferrat beans

Ferrat

Grown ?

Growth Habit and usage unknown. The bean originates in the United Kingdom. Joseph Simcox has donated this bean to the National Seed Storage Lab. I believe that is in Fort Collins, Colorado.

image of Fin De Bagnol beans

Fin De Bagnol

Grown In '20 & 2023

Bush Snap. Collected by Joseph Simcox from the USDA seed bank.

image of Fisher Bird Egg beans

Fisher Bird Egg

Grown In 2022

Pole Snap. My seed donor is Karen Golden of Highland, Michigan, 2018. Likely one of the many beans collected by Joseph Simcox.

image of Fisole Rassacher Kipfleer beans

Fisole Rassacher Kipfleer

Grown In '16,'19,'21,'22 & 2023

Pole. Another of the beans brought back from Europe by Joseph Simcox.

image of Flageolet Merveille beans

Flageolet Merveille

Grown In '19 & 2020

Bush-Dry. Seed donor Joseph Simcox 2013. Country of origin France. A Vilmorin Seed Company of France introduction of 1904.

image of Flamata beans

Flamata

Grown In 2016

Bush-Dry. Another of the many beans brought back to the U.S. by Joseph Simcox. Country of origin The Netherlands.

image of Flood beans

Flood

Grown In ?

Pole Snap. Named after the Flood in West Virginia in 1888. Also known as the Corn bean as they were planted in cornfields. Said to grow as tall as a two story house. Seed Donor Ken Fry of Forgotten Heirlooms 2019.

image of Flor de Mayo beans

Flor de Mayo

Grown In '15,'21 & 2022

Pole Dry. My Potter Valley California seed donor says these make the best shelly beans. He sent them to me in December 2013. Origin San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

image of Flossie Powell beans

Flossie Powell

Grown In ’19 & 2024

Pole Lima. Starts producing first dry pods in about 95 days. Productive plants introduced into the Seed Savers Exchange, in the 1980’s by Harold R. Martin of Hopkinsville, KY who got it from an aunt named Ethel Martin. Ethel Martin, in turn, received her start of seed from Flossie Powell in 1922. My seed donor John Coykendall of Knoxville, Tennessee 2017.

image of Flynn 4 beans

Flynn 4

Grown In 2017

Pole. One of the many beans brought back to the U.S. from Europe by Joseph Simcox. Country of Origin Italy.

image of Fountain Pitts Allen beans

Fountain Pitts Allen

Grown In '16,’21 & 2023

Pole Dry. An original variety bred and named by Stephen Smith of Guthrie Kentucky. The bean seeds are really quite pelagic and marine inspired, deep blue-ish with grey speckles and reminiscent to me of a humpback whale. The vines are strong, healthy, vigorous and dry down fairly early. Production was really good.

image of Fox Family Greasy beans

Fox Family Greasy

Grown In '18 & 2023

Pole Greasy. The bean comes from Madison county North Carolina. The beans history dates back to the time of the American revolution. Seed acquired from Remy Orlowski’s (deceased) Sample Seed Shop as a gift from Karen Golden of Highland Michigan.

image of Frank Barnett beans

Frank Barnett

Grown In '21 & 2022

Pole Snap. My seed donor is from Vancouver, Washington, 2018. Sometimes called Frank Barnett Cuthshort. I received the bean with this more shortened name. Grows well in the Pacific Northwest.

image of French Pole beans

French Pole

Grown In 2019

Pole Dry. Cranberry type donated to me by one of my Network growers Kateri Pavlik of Warwick, New York in 2019. Her aunt purchased the bean in the 90's and could only remember French Pole. Catalog and company not remembered. Grown by both Kateri's aunt and mom and passed on to her. Like most cranberry beans the huge pods turn bright scarlet as the beans mature. The pods will turn purple striped when dry. Plants grow 6 to 8 feet. Excellent frozen as shellies for soup.

image of Frost beans

Frost

Grown In 2024

Pole Dry. Pre-1796 bean that keeps producing into the autumn hence the name Frost. There are many red and white beans that look similar. Bean colors and patterns are very repeatable. The British have a bean like this called Pea Bean that has been grown in the UK for over 400 years.

image of Fruhe Goldbohne beans

Fruhe Goldbohne

Grown In '21,'22,'23 & 2024

Bush Dry. Beautiful striking in appearance German dry bean that interprets as "Early Gold Bean. My seed donor bean friend in Liebenfels, Austria sent this bean to me in 2014. One of my Candian Network growers who owns a Farm in Blyth, Ontario has become a certified organic grower and has put commerical amounts of this bean in the hands of Hawthorn Farm Organic Seeds in Ontario. Nice to see some of these beans in the hands of more gardening growers.

image of Fukuryu Chunaga beans

Fukuryu Chunaga

Grown In '22 & 2023

Semi Runner Dry. From my Australian seed donor in Hobartville, New South Wales, Australia in 2014. The high yeilding Japanese bean was listed in agricultural publications as far back as 1973.

image of Gabarone Sugar beans

Gabarone Sugar

Grown In '18 & 2023

Semi Runner Dry. Sent to my by a South African seed donor from Hercules, South Africa in 2013. Usage in the same as described earlier for other sugar beans. Country of origin Botswana, Africa.

image of Gaucho beans

Gaucho

Grown In '16 & 2019

Bush Dry. Said to be of Argentinian origin. Seed gifted to me by Jenny Blaser of Little Chute, Wisconsin in 2021.

image of Gauk beans

Gauk

Grown In '16,'19,'21 & 2024

Bush Dry. Early 75 DTM. This bean I acquired in 2011 from a New York state Seed Savers Exchange member. The bean originates on the island of Gotland, Sweden over 100 years ago. One SSE member acquired the bean from the Heritage Seed Library in the UK.

image of George Washington Fall beans

George Washington Fall

Grown In 2023

Pole Snap. My seed donor is Amanda Winland of Mount Alto West Virginia.

image of Georgian Pole Black And White beans

Georgian Black And White

Grown In '17,'20 & 2022

Pole Dry. Another of the many beans that Joseph Simcox brought back to the U.S. on his seed collecting forays overseas. Jospeh is also author of the book ‘Bizarre Edible Plants: Unknown Delicacies’. A simply gorgeous bean that is half black, half white lengthwise and a slightly elongated seed shape. A fantastic bean, by a wise and incredible man!

image of Georgian Pole beans

Georgian Pole

Grown In 2017

Pole Dry. Another of the many beans that Joseph Simcox brought back to the U.S. on his seed collecting forays overseas.

A Bean Collectors Window - Contact: upadam@comcast.net

Header Photo By Joseph Simcox - "The Botanical Explorer"