These Giant Elephant beans also known as Yigante or Boerentenen have a variety of names and can be very difficult to find. They can be harvested and eaten green, or allowed to dry on the vine and harvested for shelling. The dried beans swell very large when soaked and cooked and are a nice creamy bean for dishes with tomato sauce. They are grown in the Kastoria region of Greece but are also common in my home country - the Netherlands where they are called "Boerentenen", as well as in Belgium. They go by other names such as roomsche boonkes, boeren tenen (transl: farmers toes), snijbonen, among other things. These beans are definitely not Lima beans and are in the family of phaseolus coccineus; runner beans.

As they are related to the Scarlet Runner bean, they will cross pollinate with them so they should be kept isolated. Elephant beans are an amazing bean used for the greek dish Yigandes Plaki. White flowers form early on the vines, followed by large, flat green pods and if allowed to continue to grow large white beans form.  Sow indoors in LARGE cups and transplant very carefully. Requires plenty of rich soil and compost. Birds and wire worm also very much enjoy the bean, which may be a reason for you to transplant starts rather than direct sow. These beans absolutely need a tall support, mine grew over 12 feet high when given the opportunity. They begin blooming early and attract humming birds. Plants are little bothered by winds or harsh weather and are not susceptible to many diseases.

I was delighted to come into the possession of some of these beans as my grandfather grew them during my youth, the beans are traditionally enjoyed as "snijbonen", finely sliced diagonally and served cooked with butter. They can also be fermented with salt, a long term storage method from some time ago.

These beans need a medium length growing season to fully mature. These beans sometimes form tubers that can be dug up and stored and replanted the next year. I have very limited quantities available.

Direct sow about 1" deep once all risk of frost has passed or in shorter seasons start indoors 3-4weeks before last frost and harden off carefully. Harvest frequently.

----> Shipping and other notes:

Please see my other listings for more vegetables, flowers, fruit and tree seeds. You can also find LittleIslandSeedCo on social media. Seed origin: All our seeds are cultivated in Prince Edward Island, Canada, zone 5b and are heirloom, open pollinated, non-hybrid seeds - unless otherwise marked! We grow and save what we love! For storage, seeds are packed in resealable small bags with paper labels and include basic planting instructions.

Current season seeds. The majority of my listings were germination tested by me. We do not send or sell old/expired seed. I am available for suggestions and tips if things don’t go the way you hoped… however; I can not guarantee a living, breathing thing such as a seed will grow for you on your timeline once it leaves my hands. From time to time I may be able to send some replacement seeds for the cost of shipping.

Orders are sent using regular letter/oversized padded letter mail via Canada Post. Flat rate shipping available for selected items/areas: Price is shown after adding the items to your cart. If an order is returned due to an incorrect or incomplete address, S&H will not be refunded. TRACKING IS NOT INCLUDED UNLESS YOU ADD IT TO YOUR ORDER. Handling time: 1 - 3 bus. days. Worldwide shipping delivery ranges from 5 business days - up to 8 weeks (INTL). We do not take responsibility for customs issues, transit times, losses or carrier damages!

***5 Seed Test Packs: I enjoy growing and trying new things. On selected listings small “tester packs” may be available for a smaller price for you to try out something new!

Seeds are hand collected and sorted and some smaller seeds may contain some chaff. This does not affect seed count. Seed size may vary; this is especially applicable to larger seeds like beans.

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