Jack's Beans
Product Description
ALL PROCEEDS DONATED TO MIND & RESTORE*
Jack’s Beans
(Cherokee Trail of Tears)
These beans have a story to tell...
This heritage varieties' story goes back to 1838 when the Cherokee and other Nations were driven from their homeland to make way for settlers. Thousands died along the way hence the name 'Trail of Tears'. These beans survive from that time and have become a heritage variety that is well worth growing.
We planted the box of over 300 black shiny beans shortly afterwards. Incredibly only one single bean germinated and we grew it in a big pot on our patio. We took lots of care to make sure it thrived and wasn't attacked by inquisitive slugs.
Our son Jack grew this bean on his allotment and picked the harvest during his last winter. He carefully shelled and dried the beans and stored them in a box to grow in the spring. Tragically Jack, although looking to the future, became unwell and sadly died in March 2017 following a short period of mental illness.
In the autumn of 2017 we had a huge crop, which we again dried and stored in order to grow another generation of beans. Each year a new generation of beans is harvested and shared with our family, friends & nursery customers. From that one single bean the story continues...along with selling the bean plants at the nursery there are plans to send Jack’s Beans in dried form around the country as part of Mr Lean’s Plante-Thinking / Plante-It-Forward idea Number Two.
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Hopefully you will enjoy watching your own ‘Jack's Bean’ grow.
Once harvested it is a chance to make a delicious meal for your family or friends using the beans (they are similar to French beans). It’s our wish that you use this opportunity to have a heart to heart, talk about the subject of mental health & how everyone is doing.
You can also dry some of the beans to share, so your family & friends can grow them next year.
We hope Jack's Beans will in a small way raise awareness of mental illness and help make a kinder and more compassionate world
Fundraising at the nursery:
Andrew & Liz lost their beautiful son Jack in March 2017 after a short period of mental illness at the age of 23. In order to turn their darkest days into brighter ones & to help others in similar situations, Jack’s friends & nursery customers have raise over £140,000 for the wonderful mental health charities Mind & Restore in order to help others who need support.
*Excludes delivery cost
