Jacob's Cattle Bean is a stunning heirloom variety that earned its place in Slow Food's Ark of Taste for its distinctive maroon and white mottled pattern reminiscent of cattle markings. This bush bean takes 90 to 100 days to reach maturity, growing 18 inches tall with beautiful speckled pods that dry to reveal beans prized for their hearty, rich flavor and creamy texture. Well-adapted to the Northeast and celebrated for high yields, this striking variety transforms any garden into a showcase while providing nutritious, protein-rich harvests that excel in traditional comfort foods.
Full Sun
Moderate
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18in H x ?in W
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Moderate
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The maroon and white mottled pattern that gives Jacob's Cattle Bean its memorable name also earned it recognition as an endangered food worth preserving through Slow Food's Ark of Taste program. Beyond its striking appearance, this Northeast-adapted heirloom delivers exceptional yields of creamy-textured beans that hold their shape beautifully during cooking, making them perfect for hearty soups, stews, and traditional baked bean dishes. At just 18 inches tall, these compact bush plants fit easily into smaller gardens while producing beans packed with protein, fiber, and essential minerals.
Jacob's Cattle beans excel in hearty winter comfort foods, particularly soups, stews, and traditional baked bean preparations where their rich flavor and creamy texture truly shine. Their ability to retain shape during long cooking makes them ideal for dishes that require extended simmering, while their high protein and fiber content adds substantial nutrition to vegetarian meals and traditional bean-based dishes.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Direct sow seeds outdoors as soon as the threat of frost has passed and soil has warmed. Plant seeds 1 inch apart initially, then thin to achieve proper 6-inch spacing between plants.
For best results, allow beans to dry naturally on the plant before harvesting. Collect the dried beans before the first fall frost arrives to prevent weather damage. If wet weather threatens before beans are fully dry, pull entire plants and hang them in a protected area to finish drying, then thresh the dried plants to remove the beans from their pods.
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“Jacob's Cattle Bean stands as a treasured heirloom variety that has earned protection through Slow Food US's Ark of Taste, a catalog dedicated to preserving over 200 delicious foods facing extinction. This distinctive bean, also known by the evocative names Trout or Appaloosa bean, carries forward generations of careful selection for its remarkable mottled appearance and superior cooking qualities, representing the kind of genetic diversity that modern seed saving movements work tirelessly to maintain for future generations.”