Martock Broad Beans
Submitted by John on Tue, 19/02/2008 - 17:15.
I got these seeds from the Heritage Seed Library (Garden Organic). As you can see, all nine have germinated using the toilet roll inner tube method (!) of propagation in a frost-free greenhouse. Does anyone know about Martock beans? And what is the connection with the village in South Somerset?
Martock Broad Beans
Kim Robinson, a trustee of Somerset Community Food, has sent in the following note about Martock beans:
I never quite got to the bottom of the Martock bean - the journalist's hypothesis was that they formed part of a medieval tithe paid to the Bishop of Wells (I think that his 'counting house' was in Martock - it's just occurred to me that this might be the origin of 'bean counter'!). However, neither the Cathedral archivist nor the Bishop's archivist nor the Deanery Garden archivist could confirm the story (and the ex-Cathedral archivist was very sceptical about it, but didn't have a better one). I like the story anyway, so you'd better send Bishop Peter Price 10% of your crop!