A Bean that Illustrates the Balance of Life!
Shell Bean Yin Yang
Harvest young for tender beans or leave the pods to dry on the plant for hard-shelled (storing) beans.
This hard-shelled variety loses its black-and-white pattern during cooking, so be sure to store some in a glass jar for display!
100 days. This charming heirloom variety looks for all the world like a yin yang pattern, right down to the spot of opposite color on each side, for balance! A hard-shelled variety that also may be harvested young for tender (soft-shell) use, Yin Yang is an American favorite just waiting to be rediscovered.
The plants reach 15 to 18 inches high, setting huge numbers of pods. The beans have a mild flavor that even children like, and are very useful if stored, enabling you to keep "bean season" going all winter! Whatever you do, be sure to set aside some of the beans to display -- they lose their pattern during cooking, and you'll want to remember their delightful yin yang motif.
To harvest the beans as hard shells, let them dry completely inside the pods on the plants. Pick them when most of the leaves have fallen from the plants, and the seeds within the pods are hard and unyielding to the touch. (The days to maturity refers to when the beans are young and tender.) Irrsistible for children's crafts, too! Pkt is 50 seeds.
| Genus | Phaseolus |
| Species | vulgaris |
| Variety | Yin Yang |
| Days To Maturity | 100 |
| Fruit Color | Black |
| Habit | Upright |
| Plant Height | 15 in - 18 in |
| Item Form | Seeds |
| Additional Characteristics | Edible, Heirloom |
| Harvest Season | Late Summer, Mid Summer |
| Light Requirements | Full Sun |
| Moisture Requirements | Moist, well-drained |
| Soil Tolerance | Normal, loamy |
| Uses | Outdoor |
Lovely beans, great taste, look like little orca whales!
These are my favorite bean. They come up early, are distinctively flat, a nice bush bean, taste wonderful and I am looking forward to drying a few to see their wonderful contrast. I don't know if they will last that long though! I love that they are heirloom and I see myself planting these every year. I have taken to calling them orca beans :)
