Bert Goodwin Shell

This heirloom bean is named for Bert Goodwin of York County, Maine. Seeds were donated to SSE in 1982 by Walter Staples of Tamworth, New Hamsphire who explained that this variety: "was selected and maintained by the Goodwin family in York County, Maine, for several generations and widely used in that area." Walter's father was a neighbor to Bert Goodwin and started growing the beans after he received them from Bert. SSE estimates that was sometime prior to 1950 because by 1982, Walter himself had been growing the beans for more than 30 years. Walter indicated the beans are "tasty as a shell bean, it is also excellent when dried cooked as a stew or bake beans."