In parts of East Tennessee - especially Hawkins and Grainger Counties - peanut beans are a true local heirloom bush bean, known for their small peanut-colored seeds and tough, stringy pods that blush pink to red as they ripen. Properly strung and long-cooked with fatback, they’re considered one of the best-tasting green beans you can get.
My Granny always had peanut beans goin’ on the stove, and as many canned as you'd ever want. If they’re done right, you won’t find a tastier bean.
Hillbilly Dude Says...
My Granny always had peanut beans goin’ on the stove, and as many canned as you'd ever want. If they’re done right, you won’t find a tastier bean.
Pronunciation
[PEE-nuh(t) beenz]
/ˈpiː.nət ˌbiːnz/
Meaning & Usage
- Heirloom Bush Bean Variety (noun)
Talking about crops
Mae:
Got your peanut beans in yet?
Earl:
Yep - three rows out by the shed. We’ll be eatin’ good come fall.
★ Don’t let the name fool you - peanut beans aren’t soft and tender. They’re famously stringy, but if you string ’em clean and pressure cook ’em long with fatback or streaked meat, they turn into a deep, rich pot of beans locals swear by. ★
Origin and Etymology
Named for their dark, peanut-colored seeds and hearty flavor, peanut beans are an East Tennessee heirloom tied closely to Hawkins and Grainger Counties. Families in the area have grown, saved, and swapped the seed for generations, keeping the variety alive through local tradition rather than commercial seed catalogs.
Usage Notes
Peanut beans are almost unknown outside their home counties, but within that small region they’re a point of real pride. Most folks grow them in home gardens, can them for winter, and serve them at family gatherings. Outsiders sometimes find them tough - locals call that "character."
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My Granny always had peanut beans goin’ on the stove, and as many canned as you'd ever want. If they’re done right, you won’t find a tastier bean. 
