Blue Shackamaxon
| Blue Shackamaxon | |
|---|---|
| Uses | dry or shell |
| Growth Habit | pole |
| Maturity | midseason |
| Flower Color | pink-purple |
| Pod Color | green maturing to purple |
| Seed Color | blue-black to black |
| Seed Pattern | solid |
Name and History
Originally from the Lenape Indians who used to live along the Delaware River, and subsequently grown in Pennsylvania for local consumption for many years. "Blue" simply refers to the color of the seeds, and "Shackamaxon" was the name of a former Lenape town in what is now the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. The alternate name "Treaty Bean" comes from Shackamaxon reportedly being the site of a 1682 treaty signing between the Lenape and William Penn.
First offered in the Seed Savers Exchange in 2003 by William Woys Weaver.
Read more here:
Pages 54-55 in Heirloom Vegetable Gardening by William Woys Weaver (online excerpt)
Wikipedia article about Shackamaxon (the place)
Description
Growth:
Plants vigorous and good climbers, reaching to about 6 feet (2 meters) tall. If not given anything to climb, plants will spiral around each other and make short self-supporting teepees. Slight bit of purple/red color in the stems. Very productive. Reported to be tolerant of drought and cool spring weather. Does well in both warmer and cooler climates in the US.
Flowers:
Bright pink-purple.
Pods:
3-6 seeds per pod. Green maturing to red and then purple; dry pods completely purple.
Seeds:
Steel blue when fresh, drying to solid, shiny black.
Uses
Dry or shell. Thoroughly delicious. Dry beans good by themselves or in any Mexican recipe calling for black beans. Shelly beans can be cooked with blue corn to make a very blue succotash; and reportedly were traditionally cooked with blue corn meal to make a polenta-like dish unappealingly called "black mush."
