Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
dlsm_gw

Sieva/Carolina Lima/ButterBean

dlsm
10 years ago

Hello Everyone,

Today I picked my first Butter Beans. I purchase the Sieva butter bean seed thinking I had a pole variety. But they turned out to be a bush. That taught me not to assume, check things out more thoughly.

My Butter Beans

Plan on giving them a taste test tonight.

Luther

Comments (123)

  • wertach zone 7-B SC
    10 years ago

    Luther, mine are liking this cooler weather too.

    They are full of blooms, I hope I don't get an early frost!

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Ted, hope this early cool spell is not a indication of a early frost for you. We usually don't get this cool weather until the last of October. I was worried my pole beans wouldn't make this early due to hot weather.

    Luther

  • hementia8
    10 years ago

    All of my bbs have dropped their old leaves and have put on new growth and blooms
    I too hope for a late frost however I doubt I will come nowhere gathering a gallon or two
    So far I have only maybe 2 cups of dried Sieva
    I guess we ate two many
    They sure are delicious
    Charlie

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Charlie, In your location I think the frost will get your butter beans before they can put on another crop. But with the unusual weather we are have this year, anything can happen. Hope you can save enough Sieva seed for next season. Now you know where you can purchase more Sieva seed. Some of the guys on this forum have Sieva seed that have spots that make them unsellable but are good seed.

    Luther

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hi everyone,

    Ted I hope you haven't gotten a frost yet. Zeedman said he was expecting one and had picked all his beans.

    Someone on the net said the Monte cristo was a real good snap bean. So I thought I would give it a try. Here is a picture of my beans on the trellis. Will pick a mess for this evenings meal and give them a taste test. They are suppose to be better than the Blue Lake pole beans.

    Monte Cristo

    Luther

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hello Everyone,

    Went out and picked some of the Monte Cristo pole green Beans for supper. I gave a bag full to a neighbor because I had more than we could eat. Our neighbors eat better than we do and they don't have to work for their vegetables. One neighbor has a couple of small kids and I like to see kids get plenty of fresh vegetables to eat.

    Monte Cristo Pole Beans

    Happy Gardening to all,
    Luther

  • wertach zone 7-B SC
    10 years ago

    They are calling for frost tonight, Luther. I know what I will be doing when I get home!

    I'm going to recruit my neighbor to help pick, she loves the butter beans and it will be almost dark when I get home!

    I share extra stuff with her and a local soup kitchen. Last Sunday we picked 2 bushels of greens for the soup kitchen. They cook on Mondays and have limited space for cold storage. She picked more than I did, but she is younger and much closer to the ground! She's about 4'11" and I'm 6'5" !

  • drloyd
    10 years ago

    Great photo Luther.

    Could you give us your impression of the eating quality of Monte Cristo? According to Territorial Seed, they grow well here in the PNW and I am considering adding them to my 2014 list.

    Dick

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Ted, at least the frost will make those greens taste good. My problem is the greens aren't very good in my location because of the warm weather. I'm only 6 feet tall and my 8 foot trellis makes me stand on my tip toes to reach the top. That is kind of painful in my old age as I have drooped somewhat.

    Dick, the Monte Cristo green bean is real good. We had them cooked in olive oil, seasoned with garlic salt and stir fried. My wife said we should have cooked more instead of giving them all away. We are have them again tonight stir fried. The secret is to pick them about half mature and they are better. Now I haven't tried them cooked the ole southern way with bacon or salt pork but I'm sure that they would be good any way you prepared them. I will save some seed to plant next spring.

    I have some Fortex green beans that will be ready next week. I purchased the seed from Burpee seed company. They said their Fortex bean was larger than the regular Fortex green bean. I haven't grown them before. Can anyone tell me the difference from the two?

    Luther

  • zeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
    10 years ago

    Well, the "regular Fortex" gets up to 11" long, it's hard to imagine them getting much larger than that... or whether such a difference would matter.

  • fusion_power
    10 years ago

    Fortex is not very well adapted to my climate. I can get a crop, but nowhere near the crop I get from beans with more nematode tolerance and heat tolerance. I am working on a cross that will perform better than Fortex while retaining most of the good traits. Now if I can just figure out how to fit in 2 extra rows of beans!

    DarJones

  • drloyd
    10 years ago

    Thank you Luther. Neither Emerite nor Fortex did very well this summer and I plan to give Monte Cristo a try. They are sold by Territorial which shares our climate. - Dick

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    DarJones, what variety of green bean do you grow that is Nematode tolerance and heat tolerance? I have those problems here in my location. I have to make a furrow row and fill the furrow row with home made soil mixture of mine.

    Zeedman, that is a beautiful picture of your Fortex bean. That certainly looks healthy and quite large for a green bean. The Burpee fortex can't be any larger than the one you have. How did you find the taste compared to other green beans. Everyone raves about how good the Fortex bean tastes. I will find out this next week.

    Dick, I purchased my seed from Territorial seed company and they seem to do good here. We have had cool weather here recently in the sixties at night but next week it is suppose to be back in the low seventies at night. I find that your climate and soil makes the difference in your vegetables taste. In my area I have an up hill battle.

    Luther

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hello Everyone,

    Here is a picture of some Lima beans. They are really loaded with blossoms and some beans on the spikes. Farmerdill put me on to the Nemagreen Lima that has some resistant to the Nematodes. Only problem is they are the bush variety. I would grow everything on a trellis if I could. My back just don't like those bush varieties.

    Baby Limas

    Luther

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hello Everyone,

    Zeedman, I had a mess of the Fortex green beans this past week. They are what everyone said they were, GOOD.
    I forgot to take a picture of them but some were a foot long.

    Bill the Monte Cristo green bean is a very prolific green bean. I think it has out produced all the other green beans.

    Here is a picture of the Maxabel bush green bean. Will give them a taste test today. Also share with the neighbors as my wife and I can only eat so many. I don't like them frozen as they taste mushy after freezing. Plus we can grow several crops a year.

    Maxabel Green Bean

    Happy Gardening To All,
    Luther

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hi everyone,

    I was disappointed in the Maxabel green bean. They had a tough skin on them and the taste wasn't the best. Don't know if I gave them enough water or it was the heat. They are off my list to plant in the future. The other good tasting green beans spoiled my taste buds. Here is a picture of some Limas I picked this morning.

    Woods Prolific Bush Lima

    Luther

  • fusion_power
    10 years ago

    Just a heads up that I shipped a small package of Carolina Sieva to Sandhill Preservation. They will be available in limited quantities next year.

  • wertach zone 7-B SC
    10 years ago

    How small Fushion?

    I plan to plant more next year for sharing.

    I've got a few to spare from this year, maybe 200 seeds or so.

    I wish I had more to share this year, but I ate most of them!

    If anyone wants some for a SASE message me. First come first served!

  • fusion_power
    10 years ago

    wertach, about 1/2 gallon of seed sent to Sandhill so far. I have to pick them again in the next couple of days and hope to get another half gallon. That is still not a lot of seed, but Glenn will put them in packs of 30 to 40 and should get about 1000 packs.

  • zeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
    10 years ago

    That's good news, Fusion. Between Glen & some of the growers on this forum who preserve it (and perhaps SSE, although I haven't heard how their crop fared) "Sieva" should be more reliably available in the future.

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hello Everyone,

    Between all you guys growing Sieva Lima seed it won't be long before we have the market full of available seed to purchase. Thanks to everyone for making your contribution, no matter how large or small we will make the Sieva available to everyone.

    Here is a picture of the Mexcla Lima that is taking the place of the Sieva by the Commerical growers. Wanted to give it a trial test and see the difference. Have mature ones and I will give them a taste test in the next few days.

    Mexcla Lima

    Luther

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Also took a picture of the Nemagreen Lima. Suppose to be the same as the Thorogreen Lima except it has some resistance to the Nematode. They should be ready to pick soon. They are putting on additional crops before the first one is mature.

    Nemagreen Lima

    Happy Gardening to all,
    Luther

  • zeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
    10 years ago

    Wow, is that a beautiful set of pods. Nice work, Luther. I've really been enjoying your photos.

    Since you are growing almost every lima under the sun, would you be interested in a black-seeded bush lima?

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Zeedman, I would love to give them a try next spring. I have planted all types and they love this area. I will mail you my address. Glad you have enjoyed the photos.

    Folks, sorry about the misspelling in the earlier post. I was having a senior moment.

    Luther

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hello Everyone,

    Today I picked a mess of Mezcla pole beans. Had a few HBJBB that came up in the row also. So I put them in the picture so you can make a comparison. The Mezcla Lima is smaller than a regular Lima and harder to shell. But the taste is real good.

    Mezcla Pole Lima

    The Mezcla Pole Lima does not mature as fast as the HBJBB.

    Luther

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Here are some purple hull pinkeye cowpeas I'm saving for seed. Have been eating them with Okra and cornbread. I cook them with bacon to give them a southern taste. I know this is suppose to be bad for your heart but this is the way I was raised and they don't taste good without that flavor.

    My Cowpeas

    Luther

  • wertach zone 7-B SC
    10 years ago

    Ditto on the bacon Luther! My motto is eat good even if it is supposed to be bad for you!

    It will probably save me from a long painful lingering death! Just BOOM and I'm gone!

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Back before world war 2 everything was fried in pure Hog Lard. I know as a kid when we butchered hogs my job was to dice up all fat and cook in a large cast iron wash pot. We strained the lard into 5 gallon cans for months of frying. The cracklings were used in making Crackling cornbread. We made our own syrup by the gallons and was poured over the Crackling cornbread. It was a different world we lived in before the fifties. The shortage of everything during the war years caused a change in everything. Since 1950 we have made unbelievable advancements.

    I have some Ma Williams shelly beans I'm growing for seed. What is the difference between them and the Goose beans? Only have a couple plants that survived from some type of disease that wiped out about forty plants. I try to grow organic vegetables but in my location we have every type of fungus.

    Luther

  • zeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
    10 years ago

    Ah, cornbread. I used to get up early & make that for the wife on Saturdays, back when we were newlyweds. Coffee cake too. Those were good years. Haven't made either for years now, I sleep late due to my schedule... but if I can get up early next weekend & bake some, that smell should bring back fond memories. Thanks, Luther, for bringing that up.

    Now if I could just learn to tap my maple trees...

    "Ma Williams" and "Goose" are fundamentally the same bean, as is another called "Pumpkin Bean". In my visits to Heritage Farm, I've seen all three in SSE's preservation grow outs, and the differences - if any - are exceedingly minor. They were all grown in different years, though, so direct comparisons were not possible. I have seed for all three, and had planned to grow them all side-by-side for comparison... but 2 of the last 5 years have been near total losses here due to bad Spring weather, so I was never able to get the trial planted. Hope the seed is still good, the only one I've grown for seed is "Ma Williams". Next year (weather permitting) I'll have to make a point of growing one of the others for seed.

  • drloyd
    10 years ago

    I once grew Ma Williams and Goose side by side. They appeared identical except that Goose matured a week or two earlier. The Ma Williams was on the west end of the bean garden so it had full sun and no afternoon shade from another trellis. Goose was shaded by Ma Williams but it was still earlier. Very fine beans. - Dick

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Zeedman, We don't put sugar in our cornbread down south where I was raised. If you weren't raised on plain cornbread you might not like the type I was raised on. Here is a recipe for a Mexican corn bread that is good. You can add peppers according to taste or leave them out if children are eat the bread.

    Mexican Cornbread

    They are many types of this Mexican cornbread. I have ate it with ground beef in it also.

    Luther

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Dick & Zeedman, thinks for your info on the Ma Williams and Goose pole shelly beans. My Daddy didn't grow these for some unknown reason when I was a kid. I'm willing to try all types of vegetables to see what I can make and what taste good to me. I keep a record on everything I grow so I will know in the future when and how. Here is a picture of a few beans I picked this morning. Have saved enough seed to give them a try this next year.

    Ma Williams Pole Shelly

    Luther

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hello Everyone,

    Well today is 11-12-13. So I went out and took a picture of my Fortex pole green beans I'm saving for seed. Purchasing the seed plus shipping can get expensive. So I save all my own seed except the Hybrids.

    Fortex Pole Green Bean

    Happy Gardening To All,
    Luther

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    We did a taste test on the Ma Williams pole shelly beans. My wife said she really loved them. I also thought they were very good. So this next spring we will plant a large crop of Ma Williams beans or the Goose.

    My wife said to make a change on the cheese in the Mexican cornbread. To use, Krafts Mexican style blend of four cheeses in the bread as it is much better.

    Luther

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hello Everyone,

    Today I put in the freezer some baby Lima Beans. Planted the Woods Prolific and planted the Nemagreen in spots the Woods Prolific didn't come up. So I have a mixture of white and green lima beans. To me they taste the same.

    Baby Lima Beans

    Luther

  • farmerdill
    10 years ago

    love those Wood's Prolific. Bigger and heavier yielding than Hendersons. Unfortunately The only source in recent years is Southern States Cooperative. When I was young use to get them T.W. Wood, when they went out business got them from Wetzel for a few years. SS still carries them but If they drop them they will probably be lost like most of the old Woods varieties.

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks farmerdill for the info. You have given me several bits of good information. I get a lot of good information from people like you on the website. The Wood's Prolific bush lima is a much larger bean than the Henderson. Don't remember where I purchased them but I save the seed from year to year. Even tho I have been gardening more years than I care to think about, I'm learning new things almost daily.

    Today I picked buckets of Fortex, Monte Cristo and Helda green beans and divided among all my neighbors. Plus other surplus vegetables. My wife and I can only eat so many vegetables and we keep our freezers full. If one of our freezers went out we would have to rush down and buy one at the regular price to save a years supply of vegetables.

    Luther

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Zeedman, I got your Black Lima Seed in the mail yesterday. Thinks and I'm looking forward to seeing what they taste like this next spring.

    I wonder how many of you select the 4 seeded pods of lima to save seed from? That is what I do from year to year. Also my cowpeas, I only save seed from pods that have 12, 14 & 16 seed. It really makes a difference. That is why livestock folks use selective breeding.

    Luther

  • wertach zone 7-B SC
    10 years ago

    Luther, I e-mailed you back about the Sieva and never got a response.

    I've lost your address and I need you to e-mail it to me.

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Wertach, I mailed you thru the gardenweb. Hope it got thru to you.

    This morning I went out and picked a bucket of Harry's HTD speckle butterbeans. Had to use a ladder to pick some of them out of my orange tree. Had planted them at the edge of the tree so they wouldn't get full sun during the hot weather. They did not make during the hot weather but as soon as it cooled off they were very prolific. In the picture the hulls had four beans. Harry I don't remember what beans you crossed to develop this HTD bean but it is a winner. We were hoping it would make during the hot summer here in Florida but it wouldn't.

    I have a couple hundred seed I will mail out in 25 packs to anyone that wants to give them a try. E-mail me your mailing address and I will send them to you.

    Harry's HTD ButterBean

    Luther

  • flintknapper
    10 years ago

    Luther The HTD butter bean is cross between the black Jungle butter bean and the willow leaf lima. They produced good for me, blooming and setting pods in July and August here in SE Texas, zone 9A. I'm glad you like them. My wife also thinks they are a keeper. I definitely will plant them again next spring.
    Harry

  • wertach zone 7-B SC
    10 years ago

    Yes Luther, I got it thank you!

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Harry, Thanks for the info on the HTD bean. I didn't give them the proper test this past summer. I planted them in a container and it really gets hot when the sun shines on it. Next summer I will plant them in the ground. Those that requested seed, I will get in the mail next week.

    wertach, I got the seed in the mail today. I sure do thank you and they are what I needed.

    Picked and shelled 2 gallons of Nemagreen Lima beans for my freezer today. Gave a bucket of them to a neighbor but they had to pick them as my back had pooped out.

    Nemagreen Lima Bean

    Happy gardening to all,
    Luther

  • drloyd
    10 years ago

    I want to move to Titusville!
    Dick

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Dick, they are plenty of vacant places here. They have been giving houses away for wooden nickels since they closed the space center. The Shuttle program could have continued several more years. It is called Politics

    I was talking to my brother today and he said it was suppose to be below twenty degrees tonight in Georgia where he lives. It is hard to believe the difference as my air conditioner has been running all day today. Altho my wife has been running the stove, baking items for tomorrows dinner.

    Happy Thanksgiving everyone,
    Luther

  • fusion_power
    10 years ago

    For anyone thinking of moving to Titusville, may I remind you that Merritt Island is the mosquito capitol of the world. Ask Luther how many mosquitoes he has to fight with to harvest his beans, or ask how many whiteflies he scares up off his tomato plants.

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    fusion_power, I see you have visited our area. Yes we do have our share of mosquitoes but they are not as bad as they were a few years ago. The whiteflies really give us a problem each and every year. During the winter months we get a invasion from the Caribbean of the Whiteflies that give us a problem growing tomatoes. They bring that dreaded tomato disease that is impossible to control. But I grow plenty for myself. In a warm climate you get all the pests.

    We are having green beans from the garden for our Thanksgiving dinner. Plus other fresh vegetables.

    Happy Thanksgiving to all,
    Luther

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hello Everyone,

    While everyone has been out shopping on Black Friday I have been picking and shelling lima beans for the freezer. We had a cool spell come thru and I knew it would be a good time to work in my garden. Early this morning I didn't have to wear a sweat band and I was able to wear long pants.

    My Bush Woods Prolific Lima

    Happy Holidays to everyone,
    Luther

  • dlsm
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hello Everyone,

    Today was a work in the yard and garden. Picked a bucket of the Griggs Sieva Pole Butter Beans. They have the willow leaf plants and next to them are some regular Sieva plants that have regular leafs. Had no trouble knowing when the Griggs ended. They also shell very easy compared to the Nemagreen Lima beans. We will have some to eat tomorrow and put the rest of them in the freezer.

    Griggs Sieva Pole Butter Beans

    We need some fresh vegetables after all that Turkey.

    Luther

0
Sponsored
Hoppy Design & Build
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars9 Reviews
Northern VA Award-Winning Deck ,Patio, & Landscape Design Build Firm