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Show HEIR'OOM" BEANS (ATTRACT FARMER j J. R. Hepler, Extension Service horticulturist for New Hampshire, , is a bean collector. But he doesn't 1 collect ordinary beans, by any means, says Farm Journal. His hobby is "heirloom" beans beans that have been grown in one family for 50 or 75 years, or even longer. And they're beans without with-out real names. You can't buy them by name in the markets "Con- . . . ... ( 'Beans are fascinating things ! 1 , anyway. They're an important food and many of them are actually beautiful when they're dried," says Hepler. "The American Indians were so fascinated by colored beans that they saved and grew only those with vivid patterns. If that's true I'm no better. Each fall I wind up with a pocketfull of pretty beans that -I've picked up here and there around New England. "I started collecting these samples sam-ples about five years ago. Now I have about 150 different kinds of heirlooms.' And each one has a different flavor or texture, which hd endeared it to the family raising rais-ing it." - I . J |