Seafarer

Bush/snap. Juicy, snap bean with average flavor. Bushy plants have white flowers. Small green pods. Immature green pods mature to yellow-green. Fully expanded pods measure 2.7-6.7" long and 0.4" wide. 5-6 seeds per pod. Small white, round seeds. Average productivity when grown on Heritage Farm in 2018. Snaps in early July. Donated to SSE in 1981 by bean collector John Withee of Lynnfield, Massachusetts and the Wanigan Associates. Withee received this variety in the late 1970s from Warren Lee of NY. A variety by this name was developed by Dr. Wayne Adams at Michigan State University and released by MSU in 1967. In "One Hundred Years of Bean Breeding," Dr. James D. Kelly (Crop and Soil Sciences, MSU) describes how 'Seafarer' was intended for Michigan growers and was "destined for markets in Europe through the newly opened St. Lawrence Seaway. Since the seaway froze-over early in the winter, early season varieties were essential to sustain the vital export market.” SSE Accession # 101240