Monstrance Climbing French Bean

[jayb]

I've just been sorting out my bean seeds and taking a few pictures for reference. I think these are a lovely lovely variety. A very tasty stringless green bean, which is still good eaten at the lumpy pod stage and seeds are good as fresh shellies or dried. Also mentioned here https://www.growingfoodsavingseeds.c...=1674#post1674 with another picture.

[clumsy]

Wow never heard of the bean but it comes with a great story. Love researching history of beans.

There are two stories connected with this bean. First, a thief stole a monstrance (a Roman Catholic church vessal in which the consecrated Host is exposed for adoration) and buried it in a field. When a field's owner wanted to plow his field, the horse came to the spot where the bean was and refused to go further. The farmer suspiciously dug up the ground around the area and found the monstrance and returned it to the church. Back in the field, he sowed some white beans. To his astonishment, all the beans were impressed with the image of a monstrance.

According to the second legend, A monk planted some white beans in the monastery garden as hostile troops approached. Hastily, nuns buried all the church artifacts, including the monstrance, in the garden. Then a miracle happened: the white beans, which had lain beside the monstrance, were impressed with the image of the monstrance.

[triffid]

Great photo! Would love to see your other reference pictures.

[Jang]

Was the Monstrance photo taken with a camera or phone? The lighting and sharpness are great.

[jayb]

I've gone back to using my camera if I want to record something. I'm not very good with my phone camera, I can't always get the focus right and it's not so good for closeups, it is great with people and faces though.

[Jang]

Yes, I think camera usually has the edge over phone. For me phone is just temptingly convenient. It’s usually with me for taking notes too.

[Jang]

I find it fascinating that there are so many beans with markings round the hilum that over the years have been connected with characters, sometimes it seems religious ones. Monstrance beans are apparently sometimes called Angel beans presumably because the marking can be seen in that way. I imagine St. Antony is another. On another thread a few years ago, Galina wrote about Cara La Virgen De La Bañera Leon. I think that caps the lot as a name. Sounds intriguing as a bean too. There’s Soldier too with personified but non-religious hilum markings and I’m sure there must be others. Bean names are so alluring, let alone the beans themselves!

[Galina]

Beans have been used as currency and for jewellery. Years ago I bought a slightly 'new age' friend a small box with compartments designed for keeping screws and nuts etc tidy, and filled it with different beans for her garden. She never planted them as she is not a great gardener anyway, but uses them for meditation, akin to a rosary. She finds them calming and beautiful and loves handling them. I must admit playing with beans happens here too and those exciting colours and especially those exquisite hilum patterns do invite handling. There is definitely something spiritual going on here. . .

[clumsy]

Love the stories written about beans and the history that come's with. It's a shame seed companies don't seed more with heritage.

[Jang]

Yes, there’s something spiritual with all seeds, I think. The Blake poem about seeing the world in a grain of sand could well be applied to seeds. And definitely bean seeds particularly so. ‘Infinity in the palm of your hand ....’
Getting very ‘new age’ now ........

[jayb]

I came across these pictures from a few years ago, I think the year I grew Monstrance for the Seed Circle.

[Jang]

Beautifully set off by the red stems. Amaranth or some such?

[jayb]

Yes, I can't quite remember what, I think something else for the seed circle that year. The stems do look pretty as the background.