Fortner Family Greasy

Pole, snap bean. Pods born on trusses making for quick, easy picking. Pods light green; slightly curved; non-pubescent; round; 3-3.5" long; 0.9" wide. Moderate suture string. Pods develop light red stripes at maturity. 5-7 small seeds per pod. Seeds light tan with brown mottling and grey flecking; some variation in color intensity and pattern; cuboid in shape due to pod crowding. Plants are strong climbers with lush foliage. White flowers. Highly productive when grown in 2016 at Heritage Farm. Late maturing. Donated to SSE in 2014 by Paris Fortner of Erie, Michigan. Paris has maintained this bean variety since 1955 when he received seeds from his grandmother, Cora Bell (Bolingner) Fortner (deceased) of Speedwell, Tennessee. Paris’ earliest memory of his grandmother growing the variety dates to 1940, but he does not know how she originally got it. Used by the family as either a snap bean or as leather britches. Paris described leather britches as bean pods that are picked before fully mature and strung with a needle and thread and hung to dry. These dry pods are later reconstituted in a cooked dish. SSE Accession # 132345