The Sick Bean is a Traditional Agricultural Product (PAT) on the national list approved by the Ministry of Agriculture And Forestry, whose requirements are regulated by the production discipline of the Tuscany Region.

Features

The plant has determined growth (cm 40-50) and scalar maturation.
The pod, initially green, ripening, is yellowish in color; The size of the pod is contained (about 1 cm in diameter, 10-12 cm in length).
The seed, of medium small size (2-3 cm in length), has a fairly elongated kidney shape and has a greenish cream color, from which the names (yellow, greenish and sick) are derived.

For consumption it is a “biuso” variety that can be used both as fresh legume and as a bean to be “grain” but above all it is used dry.

Cultivation

The planting takes place from May to August.
Generally the seed is placed in postarelle (2-3 seeds) every 20-30 cm; it is usually irrigated by sliding after a slight weeding and recoiling.

The harvest is carried out by hand harvesting the entire plant and runs from the end of July (fresh product) until late September for the grain.
Production is very dependent on seasonal trends and on average is around 30-40 q.li/ha of fresh produce.

The sick bean has uncertain origins but until the 1960s it was cultivated quite widely throughout Lucchesia given the decent productivity mainly in medium dough soils tending to the sandy; was grown in partnership with corn.

The sick bean is very delicate, of equally delicate skin and soft paste; it is still used as a base for minestrone and is suitable to be used for all vegetable soups as a past.
Excellent also simply boiled or to the bird” and, in the use of whole pod, in “wet”.

The quantities are really modest so that, if it were not for the excellent quality and the fact that it is jealously guarded in the family gardens, it would certainly have already been lost.