J

im Sodergren of Scandia, Minnesota, grew up on

a small farm where beans were harvested by hand

for many years. When local demand increased, his

father bought an Owens bean and pea thresher to

help boost production.

“At the time, we grew white beans, called Great Northerns, that were used
for pork and beans, bean soup and just about anything you can make with
beans,” Jim recalls. “We ate a lot of beans back then. Though we never grew a
large amount of them, we planted and harvested the ones we had by hand.”
Raising beans the old-fashioned way is hard work. Beans needed to be
planted in May, and could be ripe by late September or early October. “They
had to be planted when there was no chance of frost,” Jim says, “because
frost would kill them entirely.”
The beans were planted in rows of hills. In late fall, they were pulled out
by hand and put on stakes in the field. When they were dry, the poles were
pulled out, stacked on the hay wagon and taken to the site where they’d be
harvested. And it was all done by hand.

Relics of the Past

OWENS BEAN AND PEA THRESHERS

HINT AT ONCE-SIGNIFICANT

HARVESTS IN MINNESOTA

By Bill Vossler