One of the joys of gardening is being able to share with family and friends. While I can't share my produce with all of you, I can share my heirloom Tarheel green bean seed. It's been in my family for approximately a hundred years going back to my great-grandparents and beyond.
My grandparents moved from North Carolina to Washington state in 1941. They traveled with two other families on the back of flat-bed truck they converted to a camper with bunks. One of the times they brought with them were their Tarheel green bean seed.
When my husband and I were dating, he came to meet my parents for the first time. He told me he didn’t care for green beans, so when my mom passed the pot of green beans, I was surprised he took a serving. After eating his beans, he helped himself to more. I leaned over and whispered, “You don’t have to eat more.” I thought he just wanted to impress my parents.
He replied, “These are the best beans I’ve ever eaten. I don’t like other green beans, but I love these.”
We’ve grown them every year since we’ve been married. Going on fourteen years now.
Tarheel pole beans grace many a garden in our valley. These beans can’t be bought in a store, either the seeds or the harvest. I've scoured the heirloom seed catalogs and websites and have never seen these beans available.
Originating from the Appalachian Mountain range, they have a small white bean inside the pod and are lumpy. The taste is phenomenal, sweet and buttery. Add a little fat back, chunk of bacon, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a better dish.
They are a heritage or heirloom bean, meaning they haven’t been altered by science. (If you're interested in heirloom gardening, I have a 40-page FREE e-book, Heirloom Gardening Guide-Plant to Save Money available as a bonus gift. Sign up is at the top right side bar of my website or at www.melissaknorris.com/freebies)
Each family or hollow would have their own unique bean and would trade with other families for different varieties. These beans must be staked or you can plant them on a fence, but they need something to climb. In fact, prized beans were considered part of a girl’s dowry!
Tarheel beans produce a lot per plant. They do require stringing, but the flavor is worth the extra work. I like to let some of the beans mature. I mix the shelled small white bean in with the fresh snapped green pods. They are excellent fresh, canned, or in true Tarheel fashioned, leather britches style. Beans are strung on a string and left to dry. You then soak them when ready to eat and cook as usual.
I'm so excited to share these with you. If you're reading this via email, click through to my website and enter via the rafflecopter widget.
The Prizes are……….
Grand Prize winner will receive 1 copy of my book Pioneering Today-Faith and Home the Old Fashioned Way (Read the first chapter here) & a starter sample packet of my heirloom Tarheel green bean seed.
5 Runner up winners will receive starter sample packets of heirloom Tarheel green bean seed.
Winners will be announced here-chosen by random number generator, must be 18 years of age, and residents in USA or Canada. For full rules, click on the Terms & Conditions at the bottom of the Rafflecopter entry form. ***Contest Closed***
What's your favorite family heirloom? Do you grow a garden? What's your favorite garden crop?
You can still enter my giveaway of A Rabbi's Look at The Last Days if biblical end times interest you.
Your book sounds great, I would live to win! Thanks for the giveaway!
I would love love LOVE to win this book, and these heirloom seeds! I am currently growing Amish tomato paste, heirloom seeds, and I want to get some other varieties as well. Thank you! Shawn
Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, “A Time for Everything”!
What a great giveaway! Thank you for the opportunity !!
I am wanting as much information I can get my hands on in book form that will help me get back to roots, spiritually, in our foods, anyway to get “RIGHT” 🙂 Thank you fora chance in your giveaway!
Melissa, Always thrilled to meet a fellow bean lover. I’ll share this on my Facebook Page titled, In the Garden with Billy.
Thank you for another great give away. . . Holding my thumbs again!!
Genesis Chapter 1 versus 1 In the beginning…… It says it all. Without that none of us would be here. I am a late bloomer as far as grow a vegetable garden but I have just recently become disabled and my monthly income was cut to almost nothing. I am doing everything I can to save money without having to do without. Winning these seeds would be a great start for me. Thank you.
I just absolutely LOVE the book of Genesis. Thank you for this giveaway. I would LOVE to try out these Tarheel Green Beans. Green Beans, but from a can, are the “most” eaten veg in our home. I am excited to start our 1st garden this year.
Thanks for a chance to win your book and seeds. Favorite OT book is Psalms.
I don’t know if I have a favorite book in the Bible but I always found myself rereading Genesis, especially growing up. Thank you Melissa for sharing your wisdom. I look forward to the emails and reading what you have to offer for the day. You are inspirational. And thank you for the opportunity to indulge in your infamous green beans. I can’t wait.
A favorite verse.. Though question to answer.. As we start each day a different verse will impact us. Our thoughts, actions, and words..
What a great giveaway, love growing green beans! And it is fun discovering your page!
Oops, I did not read what I was supposed to post, LOL. I love 1 Corinthians for the message it gives about love.
Jen, no worries. I’m glad you enjoy the page and entered. 🙂 And I’m with you, Corinthians is an excellent book.
Angela, thanks! I wish I had enough seed to give everyone. Good luck!
‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Philippians 2:14.
No matter what today may hold, I know that God is with me and leads me every step of the way. Yesterday is behind me, tomorrow isn’t promised; I only have today to use for His glory.
Thank you for your website, newsletters and emails. God bless you in your ministry.
Andrea, beautifully put. Living in today with Him is my goal for every day. Thank you. 🙂
Gosh, hard question! My favorite Bible story is either Esther or Elijah and the priests of baal on Mount Carmel (I think that is the right mountain), favorite Bible book is Joshua and Nehemiah is next, and favorite Bible verse is Joshua 1:9. Wow, I just realized I must like the Old Testament, all of my favorites are located there.
Blessings!
Jasmine A.
montanamade(at)gmail(dot)com
Jasmine, I’m realizing my love for the Old Testament too! Such great wisdom there.
I have an ebook copy of your book already but to have one to hold in my hands would be awesome, but would definitely love to win some heirloom beans too!
I do not have a favorite bible story as I have never been very religious.
My favorite Old Testament story is of Daniel in the lion’s den. I was always facinated with the story as a child and to this day it still gives me the same feeling of amazment. God will protect me from the “lions” of life! LOL
Love the book! Would love to try your seeds this year!
Being from NC I would love to have these seeds! My favorite story in the OT is the one of Abraham and Isaac. What awesome proof of God’s Grace and Mercy!!
Thanks for offering this great giveaway, Melissa! Blessings to you. 🙂
Fave OT “story” is from Malachi 3, where it talks about how God refines the people like silver/gold.
Which took on much more meaning for me when I found out how silver is refined. It has to get really hot in the fire in order to cleanse the impurities, but not so hot as to destroy the silver. The refiner knows it’s done when he can see his own image reflected back to him. Love it.
Thanks for such a meaningful giveaway!
Thank you for sharing your seed story. I miss hearing the stories my GPA used to tell of when his family packed up their covered wagon and came to homestead in Washington. Very precious, indeed.
Thank you for offering this wonderful give-a-way! I would love the heirloom seeds to plant in our garden. The book offer would be awesome too! Keep up the great work! And God Bless!
One of my favorite Old Testament stories is that of Abigail and David found in 1 Samuel Ch 25.
Melissa, I would love to keep this strain of green beans going. What a wonderful story about your family’s history. Thank you for sharing. God bless.
Glad I ran across your blog! My fingers are crossed….would love to win some heirloom seeds for our garden this year and to share with the farmily! Looking forward also to now reading your posts and books! Thanks!
Hi, Kristi. Glad you found us too! I wish I had enough seed to give everyone. We did increase our garden space this year, so I’m hoping to save more for next years giveaway. I look forward to getting to know you and would love to hear what you think of the books once you have a chance to read them. Good luck. 🙂
I love the book of Ruth.
My favorite Book is Ecclesiastes.
Mary, I enjoy that one but I never pronounce it correctly.
Psalms always calm my soul… These green beans remind me of the kind my grandmother used to grow.. 🙂
I haven’t been able to grow hardly anything in my garden for the last two years. I would love to get the book and seeds to read up on some new tips and figure out what is going wrong.
Thank you for the giveaway.
Lisa, I have a free ebook, Heirloom Gardening Guide-Plant to Save Money, that may help you. If you just put your email in the subscribe button below the cover (on the top right side bar of this page) you’ll get a copy emailed to you. Have you had an extremely wet or dry season?
Ruth is probably my favorite story in the Old Testament – I love the wisdom in Psalms and Proverbs though. My favorite verse in Ruth is where she showed her devotion to Naomi in chapter 1, verses 16-18:
16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:
17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.
18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.
Leslie,
I love the story of Ruth. Her devotion is great and the love story between her and Boaz is another favorite for me.
Jeremiah 29:11
New International Version (NIV)
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
I also like the book of Ruth!
My favorite OT book is Corinthians. Thanks for the giveaway!
my favorite herb is cilantro i love the smell and use it in alot of recipes.yes i do have a veggie garden i grow in my greenhouse,we live on coast and this is the best way i founfd for tomatoes and peppers.i have not read the new book from cindy woodsmall yet but it on my list
Vickie, cilantro is a great herb. I’m so happy to hear you can grow some of your veggies and I’m slightly jealous you have a greenhouse. I’m limited in the winter months, though we do garlic.
I love saving seeds from one year to the next or from new plantings. I love using fresh herbs I’ve grown in my cooking and canning! Would be awesome to get your book!
Natalie, another canning lady!! Canning is one of my favorite pioneer things and I’ve got some fun recipes in the book. 🙂
Do you have a vegetable garden? Yes, we have a good size garden
What’s your favorite herb to cook with? I’d say garlic, basil and parsley are my favorites
Who did you resonate most with from the characters in A Season of Tending? I haven’t read A Season of Tending yet.
I am so excited and sure hope that I win! I have found that I love gardening and canning! I even made my own pumpkin pie puree from baking pumpkins this past year! I don’t think that i can go back to store canned items except to supplement.
Stephanie, me either! The store canned tastes so bland now. Yuck. Look forward to getting to know you and thanks for stopping by!
I haven’t ventured into the gardening stage yet, but I do plant flowers finally! I would love to have a garden with watermelon!!!
Megan, I want a garden with watermelon, too! 🙂 We live in fairly cool climate so I’ve never tried melons. I hope you put some veggies in this year, but nasturtiums are a pretty flower and make a nice edible edition to salads.
We always had a vegetable garden on the Amish farm where I grew up in Indiana. I don’t have a garden now, but hopefully sometime soon. My favorite herb to cook with is garlic because I like garlic chicken the best. I haven’t had the ability to read A Season of Tending yet, but it’s next on my “to read” list!!
Please contact me privately.
Should have said it is about my own family heirloom seed.
Done!
You really know the stuff… Keep up the good function!
[…] I love our Tarheel Green Beans, the versatility of October beans make them a close second as my favorite. Like our Tarheel beans, […]