Plant-based proteins from Canadian Heritage Beans
Edible legumes such as beans and peas are a reliable source of high quality protein. Food self-sufficiency and sustainablility are vital during this time of highly varying climate and weather extremes. Beans can be an important contribution to climate resilient diets and are easily grown across Canada.
Heritage Bean Varieties
Bean diversity, like that of potatoes, is great and much of it is maintained by backyard gardeners and small-scale growers in Canada and traditional farmers around the world.
Explore the amazing varieties of beans grown in Canada. We regularly add descriptions of our favourite varieties here, with tips on how to grow and use them.
Doukhobor Discovery: “Koozen Drying Bean 2” an early bush bean from southeast British Columbia
Discover the story of the ‘Koozen Drying Bean,’ a rare Doukhobor heritage variety traced back to elder Tena Koozen of the Slocan Valley. Thanks to the dedicated seed saving and sharing by grower Dianne Luchtan, this robust and early ‘Talyanka’ bush bean, has been preserved. Learn about its history, unique growing traits, and its vital role in the peaceful, community-focused traditions of the Doukhobor people.
Nourishment and Peace: Soup, beans and gardens in the Kootenays of British Columbia
For over sixty years, Vera and Walter Kanigan have cultivated a garden in the Doukhobor community of Ootischenia. Discover the story behind their heritage ‘Talyanka’ pole beans and learn the traditional, century-old recipe for the hearty bean and potato soup that has nourished their community and represents a legacy of peace and self-sufficiency.
Thibodeau de Comté Beauce: an extra early dry bean from Quebec
The short growing season in Canada demands rapidly maturing dry beans. Tina Davies of Emmerdale Eden Farm identified an early dry heritage bean from Quebec called Thibodeau de Comté Beauce
Top Ten Heritage Bush Beans for Southern Saskatchewan
Susan Griffin and Richard Hebda Canada’s prairie provinces are renowned as a world breadbasket, supplying wheat and other cereals as well as oil seeds. Surprisingly, they are a major global source of pulses such as lentils. Growing beans, however, can be challenging...
Favourite Dry & Dual-purpose Heritage Beans from Emmerdale Eden Farm, Prince Edward Island.
Tina Davies of Emmerdale Eden Farm nominates her top ten beans for PEI.
Polish Eagle Bean: Symbol of Freedom
Beans are political. I discovered this several years ago when visiting my family village in the foothills of the Tatra mountains of southern Poland. One of my numerous cousins was visiting the family house and passed on a packet of beans to his brother with great...
Good Mother Stallard: Beautiful and Bountiful
Pictures and words on websites are great for attracting attention and providing a bit of guidance to the choice of varieties. Perusing the well-known and highly reliable Rancho Gordo’s website (https://www.ranchogordo.com/collections/heirloom-beans ) from...
Annie Jackson Pole Bean: astounding yields
Richard J. Hebda and Tina Davies of Emmerdale Eden Farm There are so many bean varieties available from around the world, how does one choose what to grow? One criterion has to be the dry seed yield of the variety. Emmerdale Eden Farm of Summerside, Prince...
Marvellous Mayocoba: Many names, Many uses
Community markets are a great place to obtain interesting varieties of beans. My sister, Lucy Hebda, on a visit to Sayulita in Nayarit western Mexico, picked up a few seeds of a pretty yellowish bean called ‘Frijol de Peru’ and brought it for me to grow. According to...
Yellow Eye: Attractive but Diverse
Sometimes the common name of a plant variety covers too much territory! The colloquial name of this common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) describes its key characteristic, a yellowish eye or variation thereof around the scar. This feature results in an attractive seed but...