Fabacées • Phaseolus vulgaris

Grandma Dinel Bean - Organic

"Growing a memory is cultivating the link between generations."

$4.49

Number of seeds 20 seeds

The Grandma Dinel climbing bean embodies much more than a simple vegetable variety: it is a living testament to a family legacy passed down with care and affection. Its story begins in 1907, when Maximilienne Corbeil Dinel received, as a wedding gift, a packet of beans she affectionately called "her runners." She immediately adopted them, sowing them every year in her vegetable garden in Chénéville, in the Outaouais region. Even at over 94 years old, she continued to cultivate them with the same unwavering dedication, faithful to a silent but tenacious tradition.

It was her granddaughter, Judith David, who in 2008 took up the mantle of preserving this memory by entrusting these seeds to the Jardins de l'écoumène (Gardens of the Ecumene), concerned that they would not be forgotten. Despite research carried out in collaboration with the Potagers d'antan (Vegetable Gardens of Yesteryear ), the exact origin of this variety remains a mystery. It is therefore in homage to Maximilienne that this bean now bears the name Grand-maman Dinel (Grandma Dinel ).

In the garden, this climbing or trellising variety displays delightful vigor. The stems quickly rise to form a living web, an arch of memories to climb, flowering relentlessly until the first frosts. The long, pale yellow, flattened pods spread gracefully, containing plump berries to be harvested just before they are fully ripe—a key moment to avoid a mushy texture.

This hardy and generous bean naturally finds its place in a heritage vegetable garden. It loves to climb, reaching for the light, as if to tell its story again and again, season after season.

Growing climate: Temperate to warm climate
Sowing difficulty level: Easy
Care required: Occasional
Note: Sensitive to excessive moisture, prefers well-drained soil.

At Grandma Dinel's, beans were served simply: lightly cooked, seasoned with a little butter, salt, and pepper. Their crisp texture and straightforward taste evoke the flavors of yesteryear, meals shared around a family table where every bite tasted of the garden.

The long pods are suitable for both fresh consumption and canning, a practice carried out for decades by the Dinel family. This variety is distinguished by the rapid development of its beans, requiring careful attention to the optimal harvest time: just before the pod turns completely yellow.

Harvested with care, this bean is part of a simple and nourishing culinary tradition, perfect for those who wish to cook in a sustainable, respectful way and deeply rooted in the Quebec terroir.