The October Sky Butterbean

Tomatoes are often the star of Garden Month at Blackberry Farm. It’s no secret that Master Gardener John Coykendall’s favorite ingredient to pick fresh from the rows is a beautiful heritage tomato. 

But tomatoes are far from the only plant thriving in the Garden through August, and the full and bountiful rows are why we celebrate all month long. 

John saves the seeds, and the history that goes with them, of all kinds of beans, peas, greens and beyond. Guests who pay a visit to the Garden Shed can point out to a winding vine curving over the archway in the Garden or pick up a dried bean laid on the table and John can reveal a story that is much richer than simply going from our rows to the plate. 

Learn a little about a butterbean growing at Blackberry Farm that’s named after a familiar figure, on screen and well beyond. 

 

October Sky

Earlier this year, I seeded a butterbean (lima) in one of our gardens here at Blackberry Farm. As I have mentioned many times before, each seed variety has its own story, and this butterbean is no exception.

Many of our readers may recall the film which was titled October Sky that was featured a number of years ago. It was the story about a coal miner’s son from West Virginia who spent much of his youth attempting to build rockets with a couple like-minded friends. 

The boy’s name was Homer Hickam, and the film told the story about his trials, errors and finally success. Homer Hickam went on to become a rocket scientist working with NASA and helped to develop their rocket program which eventually took us to the moon.

The butterbean has an off-white surface with maroon mottling. The beans have a wonderful flavor, either eaten freshly shelled or as a dry bean for Winter use. 

During the Summer months and well into Fall, this butterbean will have coiled its way up tall poles, reaching upwards towards the deep blue October sky.

Observing this butterbean from seedling through its growth pattern, I am always reminded of when it was grown in Homer’s family garden, and of how, at the same time, Homer was experiencing his own growth and experiments, which would one day bring him to the point when both the family butterbeans and Homer’s rockets would be reaching for the October sky.

– John Coykendall, Master Gardener