Cannellini, Heirloom Dry Bush Bean Seeds

Cannellini, Heirloom Dry Bush Bean Seeds — The Italian White Kidney Bean That First Appeared in America in the Early 1800s

Cannellini is the Italian heirloom white kidney bean that first appeared in America in the early 1800s — pure white, delicious, and creamy, yet holding its texture beautifully when cooked. Heavy yields of attractive white kidney beans on large, upright bush plants that keep beans off the ground. Excellent eating quality both as a shell bean and as a dry bean, with a nutty, earthy flavor and tender flesh that makes it a staple of Italian dishes like Minestrone. One of the best things about this bean: it doesn’t shatter during harvest — beans stay in the pod until you’re ready to pick. 75–80 days shell; 98 days dry.

Why Grow Cannellini?

• Italian heirloom since the early 1800s — centuries of culinary heritage
• Creamy, nutty, earthy flavor — holds texture beautifully when cooked
• Doesn’t shatter during harvest — beans stay in the pod until you’re ready
• Heavy yields — large, upright bush plants keep beans off the ground
• Dual-purpose — excellent as shell bean or dry bean
• Open-pollinated — save seed year after year

Growing Notes

Direct sow outdoors after last frost when soil has warmed to at least 60°F. Sow seeds 1 inch deep, 2–4 inches apart, in rows 18–24 inches apart. Full sun. Water consistently. Harvest at 75–80 days for shell beans, or allow to fully dry at 98 days for dry beans.

Days to maturity: 75–80 days (shell), 98 days (dry)
Packet size: ~25+, 50+, or 100+ seeds
Type: Heirloom, Open-Pollinated, Dry Bush Bean
Pod length: ~5½ inches
Sun: Full sun
USDA Zones: 3–12