Cherokee Striped Cornhill

[macmex]

Last year I set out to recover seed of this wonderful bean. Old seed I had on hand failed to germinate but RdBack (Rick) sent me some 2009 seed which I had sent him, and with that I managed to get two plants to germinate. You can read about it at Reviving Old Seed/ Cherokee Striped Cornhill Pole Bean. Apparently the two plants which I got out of his seed were crossed, most likely with Tennessee Cutshort, as the seed they produced was not of the correct color. It was darker brown with just a trace of the brown stripes which are characteristic of this variety. I socked some of that seed away in my freezer. Maybe someday I might take it out and see what might come out of it if I grew it out.

Tony West who runs Appalachian Heirloom Plant Farm, and who was the one who first gave me some of this seed then sent me some more seed, which I grew out. With it I obtained seed to this bean which is true to type.

Anyway, this is an excellent bean. While I was struggling to get things planted this spring, my wife requested this bean, that I plant it first. Well, Cherokee Striped Cornhill does have a problem producing pods in our hottest midsummer weather. I planted a couple of tripods of this bean on April 30 and they truly took off growing. This is a rampant grower. But, it is unreliable for hot weather production. At 79 days from seed I still had no flowers, though, the year before, when planted earlier, I was picking snaps at 74 days. Then, after a few more days we had some flowers. Now we have a few pods. I'm convinced that this particular bean is NOT day length sensitive. It simply doesn't want to flower when it's hot. It started to flower when we had a rare cool, rainy spell in July. Apparently, that's all it took to get it started, though it doesn't appear to be setting a lot of pods in our current heat.


July 24, having harvested potatoes from this garden, I then set some poles and planted more Cherokee Striped Cornhill. To the right of the new poles you can see some of the first planting.



This is truly a wonderful bean, though I'd be cautious about recommending it to a novice in our area. It could be a big let down if one doesn't recognize it's need for cooler weather. As it is, I anticipate a bumper crop, starting when nights begin to cool.

 

[macmex]

The plants from my first planting, this year, are huge now. Some of their leaves are also very large. I wonder if the size is because they receive some shade?

[macmex]

Here are some more observations and musings on Cherokee Striped Cornhill:

Flowering and bean production in the summer

This bean doesn't want to start flowering if it comes of age during a hot spell. It will hold off flowering, waiting for some coolness (especially at night).

 If this bean starts flowering and the heat comes back on, they flower without setting much. The flowers simply abort.

When it starts setting pods it can catch you off guard. The pods are often hiding in the foliage and not very visible.



Growth habit

Bean varieties differ in vigor and in degrees of determinate or indeterminate growth. Some pole beans, for instance, if given plenty of trellis, will only reach 5-6' in height. I once grew Red Peanut Bean, which is called a half runner by some. When given a trellis Red Peanut twined to about 4'. To me, that qualified it being called a pole bean, yet, if given no trellis at all, Red Peanut makes kind of a bush which throws out twining tendrils. On the other extreme there are the super indeterminate varieties like Tarahumara Pink Green Bean which will reach for the sky (and then some). I'm inclined to rank Cherokee Striped Cornhill up with the super indeterminate. Planted early enough this bean reaches for the sky and mugs any other plant or structure which happens to be close by. The vines get huge and very weighty. I noticed that my April planting has become massive and, in one case, the vines broke at least one of the poles in a tripod, which was supporting them! That's a lot of weight.

 




This is supposed to be a cornfield bean

So this raises the question, how does one use Cherokee Striped Cornhill on corn? This year I only planted some on corn very late in the season, and then, that particular planting received no rain or water at all for at least 5 weeks. Yesterday I watered it, and I'm sure it will come up, but at this point it isn't up. The only other time I've planted it on corn was the very first year when I grew it, planting some seed on Mesquakie Indian Corn which was already finished producing. The bean tore the corn down, to only a height of 4', but it produced quite well. Jerreth and I were thrilled with the bean. So, here's how I envision using this variety on corn. Its name tells us that the Cherokee used it on corn, yet if one planted this one on corn while the corn was still small, it would probably tear down the sturdiest of corn stalks.

1. Only plant a seed or two every six to eight feet apart, leaving the beans multiple cornstalks to climb.
2. Plant the bean in mid summer, after the corn has attained its full height. The bean plants may languish, not getting enough sunlight, at first, but they'll recover as the corn begins to dry down and let more light in. This will allow the corn to produce before the bean can cause it any harm.
3. Don't sweat it if the beans tear the cornstalks down. Just pick beans from the tangle.
4. Be prepared to glean a lot of dry beans at the end of the season, when cleaning up the cornstalks. Remember the picture I put on the third page of the thread about Reviving Old Seed/ Cherokee Striped Cornhill? 



This is what one would find at the end of the season. Yet, I had fun gleaning seed at this point. There was a lot of it and it was all in good condition.

So, this variety would be appreciated by someone who wants a lot of food and grows in a semi chaotic environment, such as the three sisters method. This one, however, would be used in a somewhat wilder version of the Three Sisters method.

Cherokee Striped Cornhill, in the world of beans, is kind of a "thug," but only in the sense that it is very rampant in growth and hard to contain. It's a champ if one is aiming for abundant dry beans and abundant snaps. Yet in a very true sense this bean is a fall bean. It may produce earlier than in the fall, but only if it gets some cooler temps to get it started and then some more, to allow it to set pods. 

I bet this variety, grown farther North, where nights are cooler, would dependably produce at 74 days and keep producing until frost. Here, in hot Oklahoma, however, it will often delay production until cooler temps arrive. Its redeeming feature is that it is super resilient and will indeed produce when conditions are right, whereas some fall beans must produce within a short period of time when they become mature enough to flower, or else they lose their condition and fade away with a whimper, without ever making a decent crop.

Quality of snap beans 



This is a true, tender podded (full bean) variety. It has sturdy double strings on almost every pod, which when pulled, leaves a succulent snap bean. I have found a few pods with no strings, and which were still super tender, but I suspect I picked those pods just a bit early.

This bean is not a greasy bean. Greasy beans lack the microscopic hairs on the pods which make a normal green bean look the way it does. Greasy beans look shiny on account of lacking those hairs. It's hard to put my finger on it, but Cherokee Striped Cornhill strikes me as almost being a greasy. It's not, but every now and then I have to stop and make sure it isn't. It even has a "greasy bean texture" when fresh cooked and served.

Cherokee Striped Cornhill became a favorite in our home the very first time I grew it. Beside Tennessee Cutshort, this is the only variety my wife regularly requests. She's not a "bean geek." She just like green beans, and she tends to want them without as developed seed as my preferences lean to.  While this bean can be eaten with the seed well developed in the pods (It's a true Appalachian tender podded variety/ full bean) the seed is never huge. It's kind of small in fact. The pods are slender. Some, even, fail to develop seed inside and if not promptly picked, they fade away without leaving any seed. Yet this variety produces prodigious amounts of pods. It has taken me at least five growing seasons to get to know this variety, and I'll probably learn more with every year that I grow it

[heavyhitterokra]

That was a really nice write-up, George. Lots of good information. I enjoyed reading that.

[macmex]

Here's another observation. 


In my April planting, I made sure only to plant the tan seed with brown stripes, which is what fits the variety description. Yet, as seen in the photo, one plant cropped up with violet flowers, and will produce black seed. It's a no brainer (or should be) yet silly me, it seemed a novel thought when I considered that black is generally recessive in bean seed coats. This means the recessive gene can be floating around in ones seed stock and crop up without warning. Culling the black seed trait is therefore difficult. To do it, one would just have to grow this bean frequently, always selecting for the beige seed with brown stripes and removing the black seeds. Eventually it's possible that the black genes would be eliminated, though, I suspect that they might be really persistent.

What would the old time Cherokee have done about it? I cannot definitively say, though my experience with country folk in Aztec and Totonac country makes me suspect that the old time Cherokee probably wouldn't have been concerned about some black seed cropping up. The indigenous folk that I have known, who have not had much exposure to European culture, didn't relate much to my cultural propensity to separate beans by color. Even in the market place, I found brown striped beans being sold by the barrel and... sprinkled through them were some black ones.

The black seeded variant has as good a quality as the brown in all stages of production. It does appear to flower a bit earlier than the brown seeded ones.

So what am I going to do about this black seed? 
I'm not sure. I really don't feel an urgent desire to eliminate it. In fact, I kind of like it. As I planted the very last of the July 22nd planting, I intentionally slipped in one or two black seeds, right on the edge of my corn. But when I share seed, unless requested to do otherwise, I'll just share the beige with brown stripes seed.

[macmex]

This garden year has been unique for me, as I've been so taken up with health issues that I sometimes go weeks without getting into a garden, even to pick. My little Three Sisters Garden, where I planted Cherokee Striped Cornhill has had to put up with my negligence. Once again, this style of gardening has proven itself to me as very valuable. I can neglect it for weeks and still have a good crop! Now, there's a limit to neglect. I lost most of my Old Timey Cornfield Pumpkins, in this same garden, because of going two months without rain, right during the heat of the summer. I didn't notice their plight and most of the vines dried up and died. Yet, I did get some pumpkins and my beans are looking much better (I set a sprinkler on them a couple of times.)

I need to get a picture to post here. A couple times in the last two weeks I've wanted some snap beans for supper and decided to drop in on Cherokee Striped Cornhill. Oh my! What a pick me up that is! Both my April and July plantings are covered up with beautiful green beans! The plants from the July planting have only a fraction of the bulk/volume that the April planted ones have, but still, they are loaded with beans. Last night I was desperate for some veggies even though seriously running behind on chores. I went over to this garden and very quickly filled a collander with the most succulent string beans imaginable. I snapped them and then cooked them all, filling a two quart pot with snapped beans. Some were completely filled out. Some were still small and slender. All were simply wonderful. I felt I could have eaten just green beans for supper!

Cherokee Striped Cornhill is becoming an old friend for me. Every year I learn some new nuances about this bean.

[macmex]

Well, this year's planting of Cherokee Striped Cornhill has not disappointed. The plants from the April 30th planting are behemoths, absolutely huge, and covered up in pods. The July 22 planting produced much smaller plants, more in line with what most folk expect when planting a pole bean, yet they too are covered in pods. I have struggled to get out there, due to time constraints, yet it is a pick me up to see these. An advantage to growing an old time string bean is that there is never a time when the pods are not good for something, whether they be super small and tender, large and tender, slightly mature and tender, really mature and tender, or ready for making seed or dry beans. It's all good!

Friday night I went out and picked two gallons of succulent pods. I just didn't have time to pick more. We ate green beans all weekend and delighted in every bite. They shrugged off the light frost we had on Saturday morning. Perhaps this evening I'll get out there and pick another bucket of beans.


I believe I've grown this bean four seasons, since 2008, when I first trialed it (Find more info here). Every time I grow it I marvel at the high quality of this bean. Now I believe I have it figured out too. It will make monstrous size vines if planted in the spring, but it won't usually set pods until fall, at least not in our extreme Oklahoma heat. If planted later, the vines are more restrained. In either case, once cool nights arrive, it produces like crazy. 

I struggle to describe the quality of these green beans. They really do remind me of a greasy bean. There's something to their crunch and the squeak they make on your teeth, when eating them that makes me think "greasy bean." This is a tender podded bean in the truest sense. Once strung, the pods are tender, even if the seed is fully mature and only lacks drying down. Jerreth commented several times this weekend that she could just eat a huge plate of these for a meal, and she'd be satisfied. I agree. I think Cherokee Striped Cornhill is going to be a regular in my garden.

[hmoosek]

This one looks like a real nice bean. I can see leather britches hanging!

[macmex]

It'd be perfect for leather britches.

[heavyhitterokra]

I found a good write-up today about how to prepare 'Leather Britches' around Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's Eve.

I found this article on the "Smokey Mountain Living" magazine's website:

“Leather britches” or “shuck beans” refers to the method of preserving certain types of green beans by drying them in their pods. Rehydrated and cooked, the skins take on the texture of silk and nearly dissolve on the tongue, while the beans are tender, rich, and velvety.

Shuck beans (leather Britches) were traditionally strung on thread and hung in a dry place out of sunlight until they fully dried. The beans shrivel and curl as they dry, and the story goes that they looked like leather britches that had gotten wet and then dried out, hence that name. Shuck beans, which is what my family and many folks call them, or shucky beans, as others say it, refers to the fact that they were dried “in the shuck.” (Beans that were popped out of their shuck, or pod, were called “shell-outs” or “shellies.”) And in a very few parts of the southern Appalachians, shuck beans are referred to as “fodder beans.”

When the beans are dried, they can be put away in cloth or paper bags (some folks put in a dried pepper to keep out insects), or in more modern times, stored in jars or tins or plastic bags. Some folks freeze them in airtight bags, but they will keep a couple of years if tightly enclosed and stored on a shelf out of sunlight.

to prepare these, you Will Need:

4 cups dried shuck beans (Leather Britches)
2 ounces seasoning meat, such as salt pork or ham hock
1 teaspoon salt, plus extra if needed
To Prepare

If the beans are still on the thread, cut the knots at both ends and slide them off, discarding the thread.
Break the whole beans into smaller pieces, and as you do, pull off any strings you may have missed when they were fresh. Place the beans in a colander and rinse them lightly to rid them of any dust that may have settled while drying. Transfer the beans to a large pot and add 2 quarts of water (if you’re cooking more beans, just press them down with your hand and make sure there’s enough water to cover them by an inch).
Place the salt pork or other seasoning meat in the pot. Bring the water to a rapid boil, then turn the heat down to a lively simmer and cover the pot. You want there to be bubbles among the beans, but not to let the water bubble hard enough to rattle the lid. Cook for 3 hours, checking the water level often and adding boiling water if the level falls below the beans. Remember that the beans will be buoyant for some time, so use a large spoon or spatula to press down to see what the actual water level is. Be careful to not let the pot boil dry!
After 3 hours, test a bean (the actual bean) to see if it breaks open easily and is tender inside. The skin may be a little tough, but the inner part of the bean should be soft, not chalky. If not quite there, cover and cook a little longer, testing every 10 to 15 minutes. When a bean tests ready, add 1 teaspoon salt, turn the heat up to a lively boil, and partially cover the pot. Cook for an additional 30 minutes at a lively boil. During this time, you are letting the beans finish tenderizing and also reducing the amount of liquid in the pot. You want the cooking water to evaporate enough so that the beans are just starting to come out of the liquid but are not stranded and dry on top.
Test another bean and this time you are looking for a fully creamy interior. The pieces of the pods will be translucent and feel like silk. If you think the beans need to cook longer, lower the heat back to a lively simmer and continue cooking and testing until they are done. Then remove from the heat, fully cover the pot, and let rest for 20 minutes.
Taste the beans and add more salt, if needed. The amount of salt will vary depending on how salty the seasoning meat is. Remove the salt pork and serve.

[hmoosek]

That’s similar to how I fixed mine. The directions varied just a smidge. The directions for mine said to bring them to a boil then pour out that water, refill with fresh water and begin cooking. Their reason being to wash away any dust that had collected.


I need to dig through my pictures. They were a conversation piece for sure. My wife looked at them hanging in the ceiling and asked “what is that?” I explained what they were, but she was skeptical. She humored me though. I’m pretty sure she thought it was going to be a “hot mess.”

I had such fun stringing those beans. It reminded me of when we were young and strung popcorn for the Christmas tree. 

It’s hard to beat the taste of a good snap bean. I despise the taste of canned green beans from the store. It’s hard to doctor those up even using a good onion and a piece of fat back.

[MRH]

Another great read.... Maybe someday I could grow these..... Take Care

[buffaloberry]

What's happening! Anybody else out there besides George has those beans? I'm looking to grow more of those for my Cherokee rematration garden this year or next to pass onto future generations of Cherokees everywhere. Thanks!

[macmex]

Buffaloberry,
   My supply is running low right now and I need to grow them out before I offer more. These will cross pollinate with other beans if planted close together. I've had them cross over a distance of 40 feet. Do you have the space to keep them pure?