Angelo Pellegrini (1904-1991) is a Seattle area legend. His recipe for basil pesto written for Sunset Magazine in 1946 was likely the first pesto recipe ever published in the US. An Italian immigrant, food writer, and Professor of English at UW, he left us with a body of writing that includes “The Unprejudiced Palate”, “Wine and the Good Life”, “The Food Lovers Garden”, and “Lean Years, Happy Years”, works both nostalgic and visionary in equal parts that speak to a life and culture centered around the kitchen, the garden, and the cellar. He also left us a bean. The little grey and white Italian bean known to Angelo as “Monachine” (or little nuns), originally a gift of his winemaker friend Robert Mondavi’s uncle, could be found growing in his Seattle area garden for over a half-century. Pellegrini was very, very fond of the bean, famously enjoying them one at a time with just a drizzle of olive oil. Years after his death, Angelo’s son Brent gifted the Herbfarm restaurant, an early farm-to-table pioneer, 11 seeds from which they endeavored to bring it back from the brink of being lost. The short, light green pods can be enjoyed as stringless fresh beans, but in our opinion, the variety truly shines as a shelly or dry bean with a deep flavor and creamy texture that inspires one to savor slowly. The plants are vigorous climbers and prolific producers, a bit later than many of our beans perhaps, but well equipped to endure some weather around harvest time and still make it into the pantry without much fuss.
100-110 days. UO

Packet: 40 seeds

[split]

Growing Info

SOWING:

Direct seed after the last frost date when the soil has warmed.

Pole beans produce over a long season so multiple sowings are unnecessary.

Note: Beans prefer well-drained soil.

PLANTING DEPTH:

SPACING:

4-6 seeds per linear foot in rows 12" apart. Depending on your trellis system, you may also sow 4-6 seeds around each pole.

EMERGENCE:

5-10 days @ soil temp 65-90F

LIGHT:

Full sun to part shade

FERTILITY:

Low to average. Beans prefer well-drained warm soil with a pH between 6.0-7.0.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Beans prefer warm soils and may rot at lower temperatures. This is particularly true for white-seeded varieties. You love beans. Patience.

To increase yields in areas where beans have not previously been grown, use an inoculant to introduce rhizobia bacteria into the soil.

Pole beans require trellising, fencing, or poles!

Allow pods to dry on plant and pick often.

translation missing: en.products.general.options	translation missing: en.products.general.qty	translation missing: en.products.general.qty
Pkt		$3.85
1/2 lb	Out of stock	$12.00
1 lb	Out of stock	$18.00

Bean, Pole Dry, 'Pellegrini'