Smith Family

Bush bean, 7.5-11" tall. Green stems and leaves. Flowers have white standard with pink central blotch, and white wings. Pods green when flat, and yellow at shelling stage. Pods are pear-shaped in cross-section, curved, with short beaks that are usually straight. Strong pod constriction between seeds. Mature pods 2.75-3.75" long, 0.5" wide. Flat pods have standard green bean flavor. Pods best eaten when young, as they become fibrous. As a shelling bean, meaty, with rich, sweet flavor. 2-5 seeds per pod. Seeds range in color from taupe to an olive-lime green; all have a dark brown eye-ring. Dry beans are slightly sweet with a mild green bean flavor. Grainy texture. Early maturity when grown in 2013 at Heritage Farm. This variety was offered in the 1988 SSE Yearbook Exchange by Carl Cowan (TN CO C) of Tennessee who indicated that it had been "in family 100 yrs." Cowan gave seeds to the late Emma Adkins (KY AD E) in 1991, who later shared it with SSE in the 1990s. SSE Accession # 104242