Orca Bush Beans

These delicious drying beans do indeed look like tiny round orca whales! They are also known as Calypso or Yin-Yang beans and originate from the Carribean. These beans can also be eaten fresh when the pods are young and tender. The plant is perfectly suited to drying- its sturdy bushes hold the pods aloft and well spaced, and pods split open and spill the beans quickly and easily when shelling. Enjoy the unique treat of your own homegrown beans next winter.

In moist conditions, mould is a concern for drying beans. If you notice mould or want to take pre-emptive measures against it, stake and prune your bean bushes. I remove dying yellow leaves and improperly developed pods. Drying bean bushes will also benefit from gentle wind, and a minimum of weeds/other vegetation underneath and alongside the plants.

Grown organically with love and tenderness in the Bruce Peninsula, Ontario, Canada, in the summer of 2023. Germination tested. Minimum 30 beans.