*Ark of Taste Heirloom* Years ago, we (read “Brian”) developed an obsession for collecting the classic regional white beans of northern Italy and France. “Sorana”, a famed pole bean of Tuscany proved difficult to find and we are thankful to Josh Volk and Lane Selman for tracking some down for us on their 2014 Terra Madre trip. The small white beans, traditionally grown for centuries on just a few hectares along the Pescia River NW of Florence, are known and sought out for their very thin tender skin and excellent flavor. Slow Food Italy has designated a presidium to the bean’s preservation and promotion. In our field, they are remarkable early for a pole bean (our earliest by several weeks) maturing instead with the bush beans. The vines are only moderate climbing to about 6-7’ with much of the pod set low down on the plant. In this regard, you lose some of the benefits of climbing (ie. keeping the pods off the soil in wet weather), but the early maturity tends to make it a non-issue.
*Note: We recently changed the name of this bean to "Pescia" in our catalog out of respect for the place of origin protection the name "Sorana" carries. It has had certified "Protected Geographical Indication" (PGI) status through the EU since 2002. We encourage growers to avoid the "Sorana" name in marketing when growing outside of its traditional region. For one it is a legally binding regulation, but more importantly, these protections can play an important role in keeping a bio-diverse food landscape and help small farmers continue to make a living growing regionally and culturally significant crops in their place of origin.
