Trav’s Purple All Star (Beans)
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gary
Location: Washington, Puget Sound Corridor
Posted: Aug-12-2004 at 4:54am
"A very pretty purple bean is Trionfo, which is sold by Johnny's Selected Seeds and The Cook's Garden. Trionfo is as tasty as Blue Lake, in my opinion."
Trav has had a Snap Bean article on this site and now his own for 6 years. Ever since I first read it, I’ve been tempted to test his statement above but this year was the first time I remembered to get the seed from Johnny’s.
He’s absolutely right. Trionfo is a very good tasting bean. It is also a longer bean than Blue Lake. Trav’s photo of the beans only hints at the size of these. All but one of the beans in his picture are immature. The one on the right side that drops out the bottom of the photo gives you a hint of how long they get. I had to break some in half to get them in the steamer. The half beans were still about the same size as the Blue Lakes.
Trav is accurate when he talks of 16 row feet. After a brief time with 30 feet, I have long used 15 row feet, which became 14 feet when I built my raised beds 10 years ago. With the 30 feet, I was picking 10 feet a day and just left the ladder alongside the row to mark where to start the next day. We don’t freeze the beans anymore but family and friends sure appreciate the gift of fresh picked pole beans.
I haven’t recorded my harvests of beans as much as some other crops but my rough estimate has been a pound+ of beans every two days for each 5 row feet. And that lasts well into September. That’s a large return @ the almost $3/lb Farmers’ Market price.
In case you still need to be convinced, Chris Smith had to pick 10 vegetable superstars you should grow 18 months ago for the Seattle PI. He stated:
“Fresh from the garden, bush and pole beans are loaded with flavor, and you can actually snap them with your fingers. They're among the several vegetables I'll never buy other than from a farmers market because they so quickly shrivel and lose flavor after picking. If you wait for warm weather before planting, you'll usually avoid germination problems. For the space taken, harvest is abundant.”
You can read Trav’s full article at:
Trav's Article on Beans
Chris’ 10 vegetable superstars you should grow is at:
Chris Smith's 10 Vegetabel Superstars You should Grow
Gary
trav
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Aug-12-2004 at 11:34pm
I'd also like to chime in with this: my teenage daughter will actually eat them raw out in the garden! Anything that'll get a teenager to eat healthy is worth the space.
BTW I hadn't read Chris Smith's list before, but it's great! Especially since Broccoli heads the list...
Travis
gary
Location: Washington, Puget Sound Corridor
Posted: Aug-13-2004 at 4:43am
Yes on the broccoli, especially the overwinter sprouting ones, but Chris didn't give enough credit for the all winter eating abilities of Brussels sprouts, collards, and kales.
Gary
JeanneK
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Aug-13-2004 at 8:17am
Fresh beans are so good raw. Can't blame your daughter there, Trav. Does any reach the dinner table? LOL.
Jeanne
trav
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Aug-13-2004 at 8:53pm
Yeah Jeanne - once they get going, pole beans produce a LOT. It'd be hard to eat them all out in the garden, or even cooked!
Travis
growsherown
Location: Olympic Peninsula
Posted: Aug-16-2004 at 6:19am
Im up to my ears in beans right now...lol.....just your basic blue lakes. I think Ill try this "Trionfo" next year, along w/ some bush yellow wax beans too.
As far as the broccoli goes, my winter "Umpqua" is coming along nicely, but Im still very busy harvesting side shoots from my spring planting of "Packman"....all TSC seed.
Kathi
Location: Western Washington
Posted: Aug-16-2004 at 7:48am
I finally treated myself to a teepee planting of Romano beans this year in addition to my row of pole blues. Oh Yum! My mom used to cook them all the time when I was growing up, and they are even better now. Must be the Italian in me that likes them so much. And talk about prolific! The teepee poles are 10 footers, and those beans went up over the top, back down to the ground again, and are starting their way back up again! The vines are loaded, and if they don't strangle themselves out, I think we will have many more good eatin' out of them. Again, Yum!

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