The F1 seed looks like the seed of mother plant, because seed coat is maternal material. Only the germ inside the seed coat contains the mixture of two varieties. The F2 seed will show a wide variation in seed coat colour and also in size. Exactly what you will get, will vary. Planting close together does not guarantee you will get any crosses at all. Unless you are planning to grow every last seed from this year's plants you will miss a possible cross anyway, because the F1 seed looks like the seed of the mother variety. You can make deliberate crosses, but it is not so easy with beans. It is easier with peas if you wish to experiment.

I guess I'm lucky I only have to wear it at night and when I'm doing something outside, driving, things that might cause me to bump or injure it further. Katie, I'm in zone 5a and the Mayacobas grow here, those were grown about 30 miles from my house, so you might, maybe, be able to grow them. They are actually one of my favorite beans, they cook up with a lovely creamy texture. Enjoy the beans, no matter whether you can grow them or not. You know you have a source. (grin) I stopped at Horrock's today and they have green and yellow peas, cranberry beans, a 15 bean medley, the yellow eye, the Maycoba, cannellini, Great Northern, kidney, navy, more kinds of beans than I can even remember, and all from the same farm in Howard City, Michigan. Michigan grows a LOT of beans which are then marketed dried, I never thought we'd have that kind of climate but I guess we do. Annie

I forgot to mention...the family that makes these say that you can use any colored bean you want. They make it with navy beans.

The Bear Creek navy Bean soup is ok for a "once in awhile" soup. As posters above have noted, it is heavy on salt, but this can be diluted if you add stuff to the mix and the additions have little to no salt. It is improved with the addition of meat. Diced ham slices go well. Canned chicken breast is good also. Dice Spam works too, but this may not lower the salt load. I haven't checked the salt content of Spam. You can add no-fat milk, but be careful. Too much milk will increase the tnedancy to boil over during the cooking phase (about 10 minutes for altitudes under 2000 ft.) Adding liquids, milk, V8 tomato juice, or water, will thin the soup, but more about that later. At the end of the cooking phase, lower the flame to minimum and stir in potato flakes to thicken. Add spices to taste. The soup mix already contains spices and flavorings. Adding the wrong spices/flavorings can mess up the soup. Experiment to suit your taste. If you like strong spicy soups, add stuff like horseradish sauce, or your favorite pepper sauce. A little Louisana hot sauce adds a kick. If pepper sauce has not been added to soup pot, freshly ground black pepper added to taste in your bowl goes well. Low sodium soda crackers add a nice finish. Instead of regular crackers, try oyster crackers. These do wonders for a soup.