Gray's Horticultural

Bush. Shelling bean. Easy to shell. Cooked beans taste earthy, and smoky, with thick skin. Slightly curved green pods quickly develop bright red stripe and dash pattern. Red pattern fades as pods turn yellow and mature. Fully expanded pods measure 5.8-6.8" long and 0.5-0.6" wide. Plants have pink flowers and dark green leaves. Shattering pods have 5-6 seeds. Medium, oval seeds look very similar to a pinto bean, but with a red color and a dark brown secondary color. Early maturing when grown in 2017 at Heritage Farm. Donated to SSE in 1981 by bean collector John Withee of Lynnfield, Massachusetts and the Wanigan Associates. Withee received this variety from the late, Ernest Dana (NH DA E). This bean was described in Wanigan Associates "Heirloom Beans" catalog “a good heirloom in central New Hampshire.” SSE Accession # 101231