Mrs Lewis's Purple Pod

Our Leicestershire-based donor acquired these seeds from her neighbour who, in turn, had been given them by a cousin, Mrs Lewis from Suffolk. Mrs Lewis said this bean could not be bought commercially anymore and believed it to be ‘Purple Pod’, mentioned in a 1979 Percy Thrower book. The plants grow to around 2m in height with purple stems and very dark leaves. Small purple flowers are followed by bright, shiny, flat purple pods which, when young, are delicious steamed. The dried beans have a lovely nutty flavour. Seed colour pale cream to buff.