True Red Cranberry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)
Climbing bean to be shelled. Variety from the Abenaki First Nations and part of the Slow Food Ark of Taste. The beans, when dry, are a fiery red making them look like a cranberry. White hilt. Rich flavor. Rare variety having been rediscovered by bean collector John Withee, who got it from Mr. Taylor of Steep Falls, Maine, after 11 years of research. He had read the description in an encyclopedia dating back to the 1700s. In 1981, John Withee donated his collection of 1,186 beans to the Seed Savers Exchange (USA). This variety appeared in several eastern New England catalogs in the 1850s, including one from Montreal, dated 1899, which listed this variety as very popular.
| Plant type: Annual |
| Quantity: Envelope of about 20 seeds |
| Exposure: Full sun |
| Shape: Climbing |
| Soil: All types of soils |
| Watering: If needed |
| Sowing: Directly in the garden |
| Plantation: In the garden after the risk of frost |
| Days to maturity: 100 days |
| Germination: 5 to 10 days |
| Plant spacing: 15 cm |
| Row spacing: 30 cm to 35 cm |
| Depth: 2 cm |
| Width: 20 cm to 30 cm |
| Height: 2 m |
| Color: Red |
| Family: Fabaceae |