We often grow more than 100 heirloom tomato varieties

Farm to table fresh produce packed full of flavor

Helping revive the almost extinct LaSal Runner Bean

The variety is described by Seed Savers Exchange as "from a pioneer Mormon family in La Sal that had been in La Sal, Utah for four generations that has literally been raised from the dead.”

It cannot be known for certain how long the family had been maintaining the variety or from whom they obtained it, but the donor wrote that "the seeds were a long-time Mormon plant, taken with them from the east in their treks, and highly valued.”

The donor added in a later email, “apparently, many families in old La Sal raised these beans for food staples."

These La Sal beans were brought from back east or even Europe by some of the early Pioneers. The seed pods are 6 or 7 inches long, and the beans twice as big as Limas. They take a lot of room, and spread out like squash---they vine along the ground, unless you stake them, except that the pods are really heavy when ripe.

These white bloomed beans run 18-20 inches and terminate. They look like a white Lima bean but are fatter. We do not have enough to taste, but they are described by others as providing a nice hearty meaty flavor and can be eaten as fresh green beans or dried at maturity for stews or chili.

Due to a series of floods, difficult growing seasons, and lack of growers, viable seeds became scarce. Seed Savers had 0% germination from seeds they had in their possession. Other seeds stored for years in a jar became the only source of the LaSal Runner Bean. Family members were able to get 10 seeds in that jar to sprout but only 3 plants produced fresh seed that season, These seeds have now become our stock for what we grow today.

We hope to have enough to sell in farmers markets for the 2022 growing season.