GARDENINGA TALE of yore has added further information to the yarn of the Brighstone Bean.
That painstaking researcher Alan Stroud has unearthed a bit more about the likely roots of its origin.
Alan browses through our archives each Saturday morning, picking out snippets of the CP which he then brings to life in his books, the latest of which is soon to hit the shops.
His latest find uncovers more about a subject I have featured several times before.
Let me take you back to austerity Britain, to January 26th, 1946 and a story in the CP about "The Brighstoner," as it was then known.
I have done my bit to keep the Brighstone Bean alive, as have generations of Shanklin allotment holders and this story confirms the town’s connection to the bean’s historic roots.
The story reveals W. D. Eves, of the Ministry of Agriculture, was on holiday in Shanklin the previous summer.
There, he had a conversation with a Mr Feltham, himself a keen gardener, about the bean.
The story read: "The bean, and the history which local legend attaches to it, were new to Mr Eves and he took a number of the beans back to London with him for the purpose of identification.
"As a result, Mr G. Samuel, of the Ministry’s plant pathology laboratory at Harpenden, made an examination, and a colleague, Dr Smith, suggested the bean closely resembled the Williams’ new early but said the pod’s texture was "thin, papery and tough".
Dr Smith was sceptical about the story of the beans being washed up from the sea but admitted it might be true.
Mr Brown, who also made an examination at Wisley, at the suggestion of Mr Samuel, believed the bean was similar to a variety grown in France called haricot de Prague marbre nain.
He said "This is one of the coco types of beans and is known in the USA under several synonyms, such as improved dwarf horticultural.
"It was first catalogued in about 1885 and was then grown extensively in the vicinity of Boston, USA.
Mr Feltham strongly defended The Brighstoner against allegations it was "thin, papery and tough".
He said: "Many will question Dr Smith’s verdict.
"When the bean is well grown there are few varieties more fleshy, or succulent."
Those of you who have tried it will agree with that.
Whether they be Boston or Brighstone Beans, they have to be well-watered and eaten young.