Little White Greasy

Pole. Snap or dry bean. As a snap bean, it is a greasy bean that is meant to be de-stringed and cooked for a long time. The flavor is very nice and sweet. As a dry bean, it has a musty, earthy, beany flavor and a dense texture that can be on the grainy side. The dry beans are small, cuboid, navy type beans. This variety was donated to SSE in 2012 by George Ellen Gay-Swinford of Milan, Indiana. George Ellen received her seeds of this variety sometime before 1981 from Gladys Daniel, the mother in-law of George Ellen's nephew. George Ellen said this type of bean is well-known by her family and acquantences. George Ellen's mother, Verda Mae Creech Asher, told stories about her own grandmother "Little Granie" (sic) Hanah Shoup Creech. Verda Mae was born in 1898 and "as a teen-age girl used to stay with her grandmother to help preserve the garden bounty for winter. She (mother) said these beans were a favorite then. Had to be broken between each bean to please ‘Little Graney.’ (sic) My mother was born in the Pine Mountain area of SouthEastern Ky. Many people there grew the ‘little white greasy bean." SSE Accession # 131752