A. Reid

Worcester Mammoth Horticultural Bean

Inspired by: Henry George Todd, Study of Strawberries

ink on paper

12.25″ x 15.5″ (framed)

2022

Seed packet illustration for the Worcester Mammoth Horticultural Bean. Introduced in 1890s New England seed catalogs as a productive and popular pole bean for market growers, the fawn-colored, cranberry-spotted Worcester Mammoth fell to mid-20th-century agricultural standardization. During its heyday, the Worcester-based Ross Bros. seed catalog touted it as: “The Largest Bean, The Longest Keeper, The Brightest Pod, The Most Productive.” The Worcester Mammoth was banked by farmer John Withee in the 1970s as part of his bean seed collection, which was transferred to Seed Savers Exchange in 1981. Farmer Jen Burt has been growing the Worcester Mammoth since 2021.