Chamberlain Family Heirloom

Bush, snap bean. Snap beans are best when small, become somewhat tough and astringent as they mature. Pods 3-4" long; 0.6" wide; green; slightly curved. No suture string. 3-4 seeds per pod. Seeds tan with a grey hilum; oval; medium-sized. Plants reach 1-1.5' tall. Pink flowers. Medium-low productivity when grown in 2016 at Heritage Farm. Early maturing. This variety was donated to SSE in 2012 by Bernice Popelka of Wisconsin. In 1961, she and her family began renting a property in Park Ridge, Illinois owned by Chester and Mary Chamberlain. The Chamberlain's had a vegetable garden and asked permission to come back later in the season and harvest the beans, which they cherished and said had been passed down from previous generations in their family while living in Indiana. Bernice discovered that the beans continued to produce until frost, so they tried them, enjoyed them, and she decided to save seeds as well. SSE Accession # 131756