Bean, Pole Dry, 'Tolosa'

*Ark of Taste Heirloom*
As the title of an article in The Atlantic about the Basque black bean proclaimed a few years ago, Alubia di Tolosa is indeed “The Most Famous Bean in Spain”. Complete with its own “Brotherhood of the Bean”, a harvest festival in Tolosa, a Slow Food Presidium, and denominación de origin protection it is considered a pretty big deal in its homeland and is quickly gaining a wider audience. A vigorous climber, Alubia pushes the limits of our farm trellis system, growing easily to the tops of the 8’ poles and often continuing another 8’ horizontally along the top wire. Vines hang thick with pods of the plump, glossy black bean. Maturity is on the late side for the coolest pockets of the PNW but we have had no problems in our warming summers and know several growers who have reliable success in the Willamette Valley. The beautiful fine skinned beans cook to a deep purple and the traditional preparation is one of simplicity: olive oil, bay leaf, salt. and nothing more. The publicity has been good for the growers in Spain; the beans fetch a good price and increasing demand has encouraged larger harvests each year. We first encountered these beauties at the 2006 Salone del Gusto during Terra Madre in Torino, Italy.
110 days. UO

Packet: 40 seeds