Sparrow Egg Cranberry

Pole. Dry bean. Staff favorite for taste as a dry bean in 2013! Green stems and leaves. Dark pink flowers. Pods green when flat, yellow with red stripes at shelling stage, leathery-podded when dry. Pods are pear-shaped in diameter, straight, with beaks variable in size and orientation. Mature pods 4-5.5" long, 0.7-0.8" wide. Not a snap bean. As a shelling bean, moderately difficult to shell; floral, rich, full-bodied flavor. 1-6 seeds per pod. Seeds large, oval shaped, cream with maroon stripes and dashes. Dry beans have a robust, sweet flavor with a smooth, creamy texture. Thin skin. Mid-season maturity when grown in 2013 at Heritage Farm. Donated to SSE by the Medomak Valley High School Heirloom Seed Project which received the bean from Margaretta (Warren) Thurlow (1911-2009) of Lincolnville, Maine. It was handed down through Margaretta's mother's side, the Fernald family of Matinicus Island, ME since at least the 1890s. MVHS recommends it as a shelling bean and dry bean.