Pellegrini Romano (Monachine) Pole Bean
A true heirloom, passed from gardener to gardener for generations because of its fabulous flavor. When I grew these last year alongside several other Romanos, there was no comparison. The flat, yellow, stringless pods have that rich, creamy Romano flavor I'd been searching for. Tender even when the beans were well-formed inside.
Allowed to mature, the dried beans are round and marked in brown and white, which gives them their name of Monachine--"little nuns". They are fantastic as well. So next year, I'm going to have one row to keep picked for snap beans, and another for drying.
From the Seattle garden of Angelo Pellegrini, who came to the US as a poor immigrant and became a professor of English Litterature. He was the author of several books on gardening and eating well. He published the first recipe for pesto in the US (in 1946) and is widely considered the father of the local foods movement. He considered this the best-tasting bean of all, and grew it every year. Originally brought from Italy by the Mondavi family. Grown for us by Krista Rome. 40 seeds