The Zeri 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

There are several varieties of the Zeri bean.
Among the most common are the “bean with the apron”, small, round, black and white (spotted), consumed in grass and very tender and the “fasgiulina”, diminutive due to the size of the plant that develops in an intermediate stage, between the dwarf bean and the climbing one.
The green beans have a slightly flat shape, of modest size.
The other varieties are less widespread, some are very particular for both the shape and the color.

Cultivation

It is seeded from the end of April to the end of July (the best period is late May).
In the past it was sown after the harvesting of wheat.

Normally the distance between the rows is 70 cm and 2-3 cm on the row.
He prefers loose soils and does not like water stagnation, rarely needs to be irrigated.

Harvesting takes place from late July to scale and can be up to October.
The seeds are taken dry from the lower stages of the legume and are left to dry further in the sun to store them under fresh glass.

It was once cultivated in partnership with maize, which with its stem became the “frasco” to climb.

It is an ancient bean that is found only in a few family gardens along with other Tuscan varieties.
The production of Zeri’s bean is now relegated to a few hobbyists who use it only for self-consumption.