peanut beans
An Appalachian heirloom bean with peanut-colored seeds.
Also called pink peanut beans, turkey beans.
Updated September 24, 2026
peanut beans pronunciation
/PEE-nut beenz/
Meaning
A garden bean mountain families grow, string, and can for winter. The name comes from the dark, peanut-looking seeds, not from actual peanuts. You hear peanut beans talked about next to half-runners and greasy beans at the supper table and over the fence. East Tennessee especially holds onto the seed through family swaps more than big catalogs.
How folks use it
- “Granny put up twelve jars of peanut beans this year.”
- “We planted peanut beans early so we could follow with half-runners.”
Origin and etymology
Local Appalachian heirloom naming. Smoky Mountain food lists group pink or peanut beans with other mountain legumes like creasebacks and greasy beans. Growers in places like Hawkins and Grainger Counties, Tennessee, have saved and traded the seed for generations. Related nicknames like turkey beans turn up when neighbors trade rows and rename what they got from somebody else.
Frequently asked questions
Are these made from peanuts?
No. They are regular beans. The seeds just look a bit like peanuts, so that is what folks called them.