Sicilian

Pole/dry bean. Cranberry type bean. Plump, oval, cream-colored seeds have red stripes and mottling. Rich, slightly sweet flavor and dry texture. Shelling and dry beans are meaty and slightly grainy; fruity with a strong green bean or potato-like flavor and thicker skin. Dry beans hard seeded. Green pods become pale yellow and develop red stripes at maturity. Pods range from straight to curved. Suture string present on flat pods. Donor's family has traditionally used this as a snap bean, but we found it to be somewhat tough and fibrous. Pods remain relatively flat and constricted at maturity. Mature pods 5-6" long and 0.5-0.75" wide. Shattering dry pods, commonly containing 4-5 seeds per pod. Plants have a strong climbing tendency. Late maturing when grown in 2014 at Heritage Farm. Donated to SSE by Joan Sullivan, whose ancestors brought this variety to the U.S. from Monte Maggiore, Sicily. Joan's grandfather Parisi immigrated with his eldest son in the late 1800s and settled near Buffalo, New York. After a time, he was able to send money back to his wife in Sicily for her and their younger children's passage to the U.S. SSE Accession # 105718