Grandma Blank

Pole. Snap bean (also pleasant dry). The donor, Sylvester, recalls his family's preparation of these large, fresh green beans, “They were boiled/simmered, bacon was browned separately and then added to the beans and simmered some more. They were eaten with boiled potatoes.” Green beans are crunchy and juicy with a bit of sweetness. Fully expanded pods average 4.3" long and 0.6" wide. Straight to slightly curved pods mature from green to pale yellow with vibrant pink dashes. Cranberry-type seeds; large and cream-tan with dark pink mottling. 3-6 seeds per pod. Dry beans nutty with a hint of sweetness and a smooth to slightly gritty texture. Moderately climbing plants with pink flowers. Lower productivity when grown at Heritage Farm in 2023. Sylvester Blank started growing this family heirloom bean in 2007 when he was in his 70s. He received seeds from his sister and her husband, Tessie and Marvin Johnson of Hayfield, IA. The bean traces back to Sylvester and Tessie's grandparents, Thomas and Tjakomina (Kulkman) Blank. Sylvester shared this variety with SSE in 2017, saying it was brought to Hancock County, Iowa in 1892 when his grandparents emigrated from Ostfriesland, a coastal region of northwestern Germany. Primarily used by the family as a snap bean. SSE Accession # 133315