I raised a "new" variety of pole bean this year called a 40 bushel bean. I was at a road side restaurant and got to talking to an old guy at the next table over about farming. He told me about these beans that had been passed down from his Grandma. He asked if I would be there a while, and I said yes. He went home and came back with a poke of these beans. I now know why they are called 40 bushels. I raised them in my corn field and they were riding the corn down. I picked the first ones today and got half a 12 quart water bucket filled off one vine. If they taste as good as they bear I will be raising more next year!

Was the guy's name Jack? ......

It may have been! That whole poke of beans only cost me a cull cow. Maybe I should have thought about climbing them bean vines instead of picking beans! Hunger does strange things to a feller.

Jerry,
Are you saving any seeds?

We do save seeds. I have four "heirloom" beans that I raise and save seeds from. One of them is named after me. There was an older lady in the town where I grew up named Ida Maglone. She found a bag of beans lying by the train track near her home sometime back in the 40's and raised them. When I was 5 she gave some to my Grandama to plant. Grandma didn't think she would like them so she layed them and thought no more of it. I wanted to plant me a garden since I had just gotten a toy garden set for the Christmas before. I got those seeds and planted them in a spot we had burned a brush pile on. They grew and I kept them weeded and tended. When the were ready I made my Grandma cook them for me. Turns out we really liked them. Since they didn't have a name and Ida Maglone found them and I was the first in our family to raise them we called them Jerry-Idees. I think most all my family that gardens raises them now and when I bought this farm my great-aunt mailed me a box of the seed with the story behind them written out and put in with the seed. I have raised them every year since and several of my Amish neighbors have gotten seed from them.

Have you done a taste test on the 40 bushel beans yet Jerry?

What type bean is the Jerry-Idee?

We ate the 40 bushels last night for supper and they were delicious! I really liked them and look forward to raising more. The Jerry-Idee bean is a bush bean. They bear well and are very prolific. The seed saves well also. The are a little sweeter than the others and we often eat a few raw while picking them. They are good just steamed or cooked completely (Irished as we call it). They can and keep well too.

Jerry would you be willing to sell a dozen beans of each variety?

Dan

yes, I would sell a dozen of each but I recommend against the Kentucky wonders. You can get them off the shelf and they aren't that good. I don't think they have as good a flavor as some of the others. For a pole bean or corn field bean I personally think Missouri Wonders are better but my seed failed last year. My aunt promised to send me some more but I won't have any of those for seed until next year.

I'm like Dan - be interested in seed from the 40-bushel and the Jerry-Idees. How similiar are Kentucky Wonder and Missouri Wonder so far as taste and yield?

I think the Missouri wonder yields as well as the Kentucky wonder but I think the Missouri wonder has better flavor and keeps better. Also think the plant is a little tougher, more drought and disease resistant. It makes a good cornfield bean. We used to raise a white open pollinated corn called Hickory Cane. We always planted the Missouri wonders in it. Is a dollar a dozen plus shipping too much for bean seed?

Jerry,

I would love to get hold of two dozen of the 40 bushel beans, and two dozen of the Jerry-Idees if that would be possible. If you shoot me an email at we can exchange mailing addresses. Thanks

Dan

Computer glitch - apparently my previous response didn't post. I would like one of each plese, Jerry. My email is to exchange mailing addresses.

Also did a google on Missouri Wonder Beans and got several hits for seed companies offering seed. It sounds like a great bean for the corn patch! There was also a link for stateoftheozarks.net which is about traditional Ozark life-ways. There is a page on the Missouri Wonders that also includes direction for freezing and cookiing.

Thanks Jerry!