Organic Heirloom Dry Beans-"Natural Seed Bead" Green Gifts

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The majority of our seeds come from our own garden.

Seeds gifted to us are offered as well, and will be noted as such.

BEANS

All beans except soy and fava originated in the New World.

black good mother stallard Black Good Mother Stallard bean is a strain from the Red Good Mother Stallard, isolated by Saverine Creek Heirlooms in 2004.

black nightfall Black Nightfall is a beautiful bean, with it’s grays shading to black. It is reminiscent of the waning light at evening. Its origin, sadly, is lost in the past.

Brockton horticultural beans were first introduced in 1885 and are now used as a dry shelled bean.

cherokee trail of tears Cherokee Trail of Tears was carried by the Cherokee Indians on their forced journey of relocation, which began in Georgia in 1838 and during which over 4,000 Cherokees died.

Christmas Lima originated in Peru, first recognized in the 1840's. This bean is also known as Chestnut Bean because its flavor resembles that of the nut. The maroon markings remain even after cooking. Christmas Limas are now adapted to the high desert region of the American Southwest.

green flageolet Green Flageolet, which varies in color from cream to palest green, is known from the early 1800's in France. It was once treasured by the greatest chefs and is now an endangered variety.

Hopi Purple String beans (a/k/a Rio Zape) have been found in the Anasazi cliff-dwelling ruins in the USA southwest. This bean has a hint of chocolate flavor.

Indian Woman Yellow was brought to Montana from Europe by a Swedish family. This bean is a rare heirloom variety now found in Native American communities in Montana.

jacob's cattle gold jacob's cattle bean Jacob’s Cattle beans (with maroon, gold or brown), named from the Biblical story, are related to the Pueblo Anasazi beans of the American Southwest. The brown variety of seed is rare.

Magpie beans were developed in France, then reintroduced to the United States around 1905. We received this seed as a gift from Louise Godbold of Holt, Michigan, who grew it for many years in her garden.

Paint Dry beans are closely related to the famous Yellow Eye. This variety is one of the historic open-pollinated varieties we are helping to preserve.(Open-pollinated means you can plant the seeds you save).

Painted Lady Scarlet Runner is a traditional pole bean with showy red and white blossoms. Known since 1596, its name is said to refer to Queen Elizabeth I's heavily applied rouge and white chalk make-up. Thomas Jefferson planted them at Monticello in 1812, as a shade arbor on the "long walk" of his garden. This bean regained popularity in England during the 1850s. (We received our initial seeds from a customer in Charlevoix, Michigan.)

red calypso Red Calypso beans were grown every summer by the first Midwest settlers. They are appreciated for their unusual roasted, smoky flavor.

red good mother stallard Red Good Mother Stallard An old-fashioned food staple, Good Mother Stallard beans have been maintained by the Drowns family over several generations.

scarlet emporer Scarlet Emperor runner beans have been cultivated for many centuries in the cool, misty highlands of Central America where they grow as perennials. They were introduced to Europe as early as the 1600s. The Scarlet Emperor was named in 1906.

spanish tolosana Spanish Tolosana, also known as “the prince,” was carried by early Spanish missionaries from the New World to the Old. Today, this bean is rare in the New World, and is not preserved in either Canadian or USA gene banks.

tiger's eye Tiger’s Eye beans are believed to have originated in either Chile or Argentina over 100 years ago. This variety is one of the historic open-pollinated varieties we are helping to preserve. (Open-pollinated means you can plant the seeds you save).

true red cranberry True Red Cranberry beans originated in Maine, and served as a staple of the Abenaki Indians and lumbermen in the Northeastern United States.

Violet's Multicolored Butterbean, saved by four generations of Violet Brady Westbrook’s family (in Bank’s County, Georgia) has a rainbow of colors that makes this a lovely bean. Butterbeans are grown mainly in the southern US and are similar to limas, but the seed is smaller.

NEW WORLD CORN

Corn originated in Central American long before European contact. Hundreds of varieties are still grown in Mexico, Gradually, though, they are being displaced by genetically modified (GM) corn from the United States.

Earth Tones Dent is a recent selection of soft colors from a traditional heirloom rainbow mix. Traditional Native American corns appear in a complete rainbow of colors — every possible combination of greens, blues, pinks, reds and yellows. Most are hard or "flint" dented corns. Flint corns are good for grinding.

Hopi Blue Flour corn has been grown for hundreds of years by Hopi Indians, who now live on reservation lands in the American Southwest. The word hopi means peaceful ones. Sweeter and nuttier in flavor than other corns, this variety contains about 20% more protein. It is used in making cornmeal, blue tortillas and chips.

Hopi Magenta Parching, grown by the Hopi Indians in the North American Southwest, is first dried and then dry-roasted when being prepared as a food. The resulting “corn nuts” are nutritious, can be stored for great lengths of time, and make a handy trail food.

Hopi Pink Flour is one of more than twelve varieties of corn that the Hopi have grown in the American Southwest for hundreds of years. By selecting the best seed each year, and using ancient dryland farming techniques (planting deep, planting in clumps rather than rows) they are able to raise corn in the middle of the North American desert.

Mandan Bride corn (zea mays) originated with the Mandan Indians of Minnesota and North Dakota. It is difficult to grow and is prized for its flavor and nutrition.

Oaxacan Green Dent has been grown as one of the three sisters (corn, squash and beans) for centuries by the Zapotec Indians of southern Mexico. It is used to make green tamales.

OTHER

The Texas Mountain Laurel seed (also know as mescal bean) was brought to us from Texas by a friend. These seeds come from an evergreen shrub that produces lavender blooms that smell like grapes. The seed was used by some Central and Southern Plains Native Americans in ceremonies and for regalia adornment. Texas Mountain Laurel seeds/mescal beans are poisonous if eaten and should be kept out of the reach of children and animals. • † • This seed was not grown by Saverine Creek.

Pipian squash (a/k/a Calabacita) dates at least from pre-Columbian Latin America. Regional variations can be either round or elongated, and are green or gray with white stripes. The gray type is often referred to as “gray zucchini”. (Squash of other varieties with the same appearance are also sold as calabacita because of similar appearance.) • † • This seed was not grown by Saverine Creek.