Royalty Purple Pod Bush Bean Seeds - (Phaseolus vulgaris)

Royalty Purple Pod Bush Bean

This bean certainly deserves its name with incredibly attractive deep, rich royal purple colored pods. Highly valued as a fresh snap bean, the string-less pods are 5–6 inches long and slightly curved. Hugely productive as well as highly attractive and ornamental, these bushy plants have very distinctive dark greenish-purple foliage and eye-catching lavender flowers, sending out short runners. Very easy to pick, as the clusters of dark royal purple pods stand out against the leaves.

Bred by Professor Elwyn M. Meader at the University of New Hampshire. Introduced by the Billy Hepler Seed Company in 1957. Buff-colored seeds germinate and grow well even in cool, damp soil. Delicious as a fresh snap bean in salads or a vegetable plate, the shelled beans are very substantial and meaty when cooked lightly in soup or as a side dish. Naturally resistant to the common bean mosaic virus, with the added benefit of being avoided by Mexican bean beetles.

History

Originally cultivated in Central America, from Mexico to Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. The smaller beans are thought to have been cultivated in Mexico as long as 7,000 years ago, while the larger beans were cultivated in Peru starting 8,000 years ago. High in protein, easy to grow, dry and cook, they have sustained mankind for millennia.

Uses

Snap, Shell

Harvest Tip

For Snap Beans, wait until they are about pencil size, but harvest before the beans inside the pods become lumpy. Snap beans, are snapped, strings removed and eaten fresh or cooked.

For Fresh Shell Beans, let the seeds in the pods get good and fat. You shell/remove the green beans from the pod and they are eaten fresh or cooked.

For Dried Beans, let the pods get brown and dry on the plant. Pick them before they can split open and spread out to finish drying. Remove from dried pods and store. Dried beans are usually soaked and cooked.

Learn More

• A Short History of Beans
• Lemony Green Beans
• Young Green Beans with Dijon Vinaigrette

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