Had a dear older man at church give us some green beans last week. They were much older than I like them, so I shelled them out and made a 'refried bean/Mexican-style' dish out of them, (pressure cooked the pods and gave 'em to the chickens!) These beans were SUPERB. I asked him what they were called and he said "greasy beans" He always saves seed from year 2 year, so could not tell me where to get some. Does anybody know what these beans are? (They looked like an October/pinto/cranberry). Any ideas for supply for seed?

-- Jim Deweese (Jedeweese@earthlink.net), September 26, 2001

Answers

Response to "Greasy beans"

I was kind of interested in getting some greasy bean seeds, so I looked them up in the Seed Savers' source book. Wow. There are green greasies, yellow greasies, bush greasies, pole greasies, and heavens knows what other kinds. I didn't actually get around to reviewing all the varieties and making a choice this last spring, so maybe I will get some next year. But do check with Seed Savers, I'm sure they will be able to guide you to the greasies you want.

-- Lori in SE Ohio (klnprice@yahoo.com), September 26, 2001.

Response to "Greasy beans"

Jim-Im curious what part of the country you are from, because Greasy beans are an old Appalachian favorite- my great Granny used to raise them I wish I had some of her seeds, I remember the pods being kind of tough, but the bean part really good- but what the folks used to do is just boiled them for a couple of hours (Well, I was a kid, I have no idea how long they really did cook them, it seemed like hours.) til they softened up-

-- Kelly in Ky (markelly@scrtc.com), September 26, 2001.

Hello. You may have already received an answer to your query but I thought I'd respond anyway. I grew up in Indiana and grew greasy beans for years and continue to grow them here in Missouri. I love them and consider them to be the best bean around.The beans I'm referring to are Half Runners and are availible in almost any vegetable catalogue.We called them greasiy beans because they form a sheen on top of the water when you cook them almost as if they produced their own "grease".I don't know if this is the same bean your'e talking about or not but they are an excellent bean. Good luck............Thom in MIssouri

-- THom Kirk (heirloomacres@aol.com), September 27, 2001.

How funny, I just posted a question last week to see if anyone has heard of Greasie back beans. I have 15 seeds that my Aunt Ruth gave me this summer. She is in Ash county NC. I am going to plant them this comming spring. I will save you some seeds but you need to remind me next summer. she said that her grandmother passed them down to her family. If this is true these beans go back more then 175 years. My aunt is 91 so these beans must be good.

-- phillip (raines@rainesridgefarm.com), September 27, 2001.

I believe I just read about these beans on the gardenweb forum. Are these beans only for the bean--like dried beans or do you eat the hull as well. Have you tried the gardenweb seedexchangers/savers forum? http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/exseed/

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), September 28, 2001.

Does any one know the address for seed savers, I hope some one comes up with a seed catalog for greasy beans, I never heard or seen them in any catalog I got. Love Irene

-- Irene texas (tkorsborn@cs.com), September 28, 2001.

Greasy Beans - also called greasy short-cut beans, because the little beans are packed so tightly in the pod that the beans' ends look "cut short" or squared off - are still grown and offered in feed supply stores in about five or six states: Kentucky, Tennessee, and North and South Carolina especially that I know of. There is one online seed company that I know stocks the Greasy White Short-Cut every year. Southern Exposure Seed Exchange has a wonderful heirloom catalog, and the web address is www.southernexposure.com. I usually go down to the local feed store and ask for greasy beans. There are white, speckled, striped, and black varieties...and they bear three common traits: the small plump "cut short" bean, the almost hairless pod, resulting in the "greasy" look of the bean, and a peculiar rich peanut-like flavor when cooked or eaten raw. These beans require no meat to make them taste smoky or meaty. The best way to cook them is to put them fresh into enough water to cover them, strung and snapped, with a clove of garlic sliced per half pound of bean, and a teaspoon of good olive oil. Don't ever add salt to greasy beans until you're finished cooking them on medium heat for about thirty minutes. Once they're tender, salt them all you like!...the salt makes the pod tough if you add it early in the cooking process.

-- Julie Maruskin (jam@booksmail.com), November 26, 2001.