Round Valley (Covelo) Bush Bean
This rare heirloom comes from the Round Valley of Northern California, where the town of Covelo is located. This bean has been grown there for many many years, and the University of California has been unable to match it with any other known bean, or to find out it's history. It is one of the very few Native American heirloom beans from west of the Rockies. I like it as a green smap bean, like a bush Romano. It is popular in the Round Valley as a dry bean as well. It has a bush habit and makes a heavy set of flat, 6" pods.
Much of the Round Valley is a reservation, home of the Round Valley Tribes, descendants of the Yuki, Concow Maidu, Pomo, Nomlaki, Cahto, Wailake, and Pit River peoples who were forced onto the reservation in the 1860's. It is likely that this bean was bred by them to cope with the local conditions of extreme summer heat, from beans grown by the settlers nearby. It has become extremely rare, and we are privileged to carry this historic bean. 50 seeds