Got a package of these a couple of years ago at a Garden Home show here in Kansas City they grew fine right up an old wooden ladder that I placed above the plant,,thought they were an Italian pole bean but really cant find anything like them on the net,,the pod was a dull yellow and the bean is this beautiful blue,,does anyone recognized this bean? Thanks!
Hmmm, don't know. Scarlet runner beans are often a purple black that is speckled with red or pink, but not smooth purple like these. There's a Mexican bean called Purple runner that has similar beans in that they can be speckled, but are more violet and purple. And then we have black bean, which can look purple over ivory as it is maturing. Do you recall any cooking directions or what the flowers looked like or how the pods hung? Just found another, the Koronis purple bean which appears to be a kidney bean.
I have searched for hrs on the net,,I do remember the pod being long and flat but all I have is this beautiful picture! Nothing about how to cook and really don't remember the flower
There is one called Blue Shackamaxon that looks a lot like your beans, but it says the pods are purple. This Mother Earth News article shows an image where it looks like the pod is yellow turning red/purple with blue beans inside. I also found Nonna (Grandmother) Agnes's Blue Bean that was developed in Italy, but it seams different than your bean. I did not know beans came in colors that blue.
I found a page that lists one called "Climbing French", says "French pole bean. Plants bear lilac flowers and 4- to 7-inch, stringless pods and shiny, dark-purple seeds". It's a little past half-way down at Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners - Search Results Almost to the bottom, it has one called Dean's Purple that says "Heirloom purple snap pole bean. Vines bear long, round purple pods with light and dark seeds." And at the bottom, they list one called Alston that doesn't give the seed colour but says "Mature pods are yellow with purple blush reaching 5 to 7 inches long with 8 to 10 black seeds per pod." There is a bit more to the description.
