Soissons Nain Blanc

Bush. Snap bean. Caseknife pod type. Pods green, flat, 4-5" long. Moderate suture string. Crunchy, juicy, slightly astringent. 3-4 seeds per pod. Also historically used as a dry bean, though the flavor and texture did not impress us. Seeds white, kidney-shaped, and medium-sized. Plants grow up to 1' tall. White flowers. Medium productivity when grown in 2016 at Heritage Farm. Early maturing. Donated to SSE in 1981 by bean collector John Withee of Lynnfield, Massachusetts and the Wanigan Associates. Withee received the variety from Russ Crow (IL CR R), who purchased it in the late 1970s from Le Jardin du Gourmet (CV Lej). Imported by CV Lej from the Vilmorin-Andrieux seed house in France. Food historian William Woys Weaver notes this is a pre-1760 variety. SSE Accession # 101416