Garnet red bean pods of the Shackamaxon bean
Yesterday at the Harvest Festival in Union County, New Jersey, I stayed dry under my canvas roasting a wild turkey and green corn with the Three Sisters and dried venison in my trade kettle. While tending the fire and talking to the public that seemed not to mind the “liquid sun”, I removed the black/blue Shackamaxon beans from their reddish pods.
The Shackamaxon bean is one of the beans that I grow for Lenape interpretation. William Woys Weaver writes in his Heirloom Vegetable Gardening book that the Shackamaxon is a variety of pole bean that dates before the 1800’s and was preserved by Quaker farmers of southeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey. The area of Pennsylvania referred to as Shackamaxon is found along the Delaware River and is referred to as the Kensington section of Philadelphia. The Penn Treaty Park is located there as it is thought to be the site of a treaty with the Lenape and William Penn.
What was very exciting as I shucked the beans was that some of the pods were not reddish in color and the beans were not black/blue. A variant? William Woys Weaver explained to me today that those beans were an older “Native American” bean that has reemerged.
I have some Shackamaxon beans that are available as seed if anyone is interested. Please contact me a foodhxsmp@gmail.com if you have any interest.
Wanishi! Please visit my website at www.hearttohearthcookery.com
Bites of Food History 
Where can you buy the Shackamaxon beans and do you have the recipes for coking them? Scott Goodlow, 770-294-7429 cell
By: Scott Goodlow on October 4, 2009
at 1:06 pm
Dear Scott,
I have a limited supply of Shackamaxon beans that I am selling. The cost is $7.50. $5.00 for the seed and $2.50 for packing and shipping. If you are interested, please send a check for $7.50 to Susan McLellan Plaisted, PO Box 1162, Morrisville, PA 19067 Since these are historic beans, I use them in my Lenape interpretation. I reconstitute the dry beans with Lenape white flour corn made into hominy, dried squash and either dried venison, shad or turkey. The bean would be used as any dry bean in a modern sense.
Thanks for you interest. If I can answer any further questions please let me know
Susan
Susan McLellan Plaisted Proprietress Heart to Hearth Cookery http://www.hearttohearthcookery.com http://www.hearttohearthcookery.wordpress.com
By: hearttohearthcookery on October 6, 2009
at 11:27 am
[…] https://hearttohearthcookery.wordpress.com/2009/09/28/shackamaxon-bean/ Excited to grow this. […]
By: Weedy Acres Homestead – Mid February, Seeds and More! | Bean Recipe on February 16, 2020
at 9:39 pm
I have found the Shackamaxon bean to be easy to grow and I obtain a bountiful harvest. I wish for you the same. Enjoy!
By: hearttohearthcookery on February 16, 2020
at 10:02 pm