'Mahala Chesnut-Brewer 6-Week Cut-Short Greasy' Bean

 Phaseolus vulgaris Origin: Laurel County, Kentucky Improvement status: Landrace Seeds per packet: ~25 Germination tested 10/2024: 99% Life cycle: Annual We are beyond thrilled to offer this beautiful family heirloom bean from our dear friend Dr. Kris Hubbard's personal collection. As you can no doubt glean from the name alone, there's a lot going on with this pole bean! We'll get to the "Mahala Chesnut-Brewer" part, but first the "6-Week Cut-Short Greasy" bit: That all means it starts putting out pods in just six weeks (about as early as a pole bean gets!), that the beans are square-edged ("cut-short") from being tightly packed in a pod together, and the pod has a lovely sheen to it ("greasy"). Like the vast majority of Appalachian heirloom beans, the deep origins of this bean no doubt lie with one or more of the Indigenous peoples of the region — including Cherokee, Shawnee, Tsoyaha, Osage, and others. Kris, who grew these beans at his family's Wild Wood Farm in Artemus, Kentucky, is