August 2024 Heirloom Bean and Grain Club
Organic Tiger Eye Beans, Sea Island Red Peas and Organic Blonde Chico Rice
THE BEAN ONLY CONTAINS:
Organic Tiger Eye Beans, Sea Island Red Peas and Organic King City Pink Beans
NEW TO THE CLUB?
Check out our blogposts with everything you need to know to get the most out of your membership in the heirloom bean and grain club.
How To Cook A Perfect Pot of Beans
The Definitive Guide To Cooking Beans
ORGANIC TIGER EYE BEANS
Tiger Eye heirloom beans are thought to be from Argentina or Chile. These are some sexy beans! Mustard yellow with burgundy stripes they are almost too beautiful to eat. If you manage to take these off the pantry shelf (I have mine in a glass ball jar to display their beauty) they cook up like a pinto but much more flavorful, silky and creamy with thin skins that almost disappear after cooking. Fantastic for soups, stews and purees like this Creamy Tiger Eye Dip.
ABOUT THE FARMER
Fifth Crow Farms is an organic family owned farm in Pescadero, California. Grounded in a values-based approach to land stewardship, Fifth Crow Farm is a dynamic and diversified organic farm in Pescadero, CA. Founded in 2008 with a shoestring budget, a supportive local community, and ambitious dreams, they strive to bring eaters the highest quality, best tasting, and most nutritious food possible.
Fifth Crow Farm wants their farm to be more than a business: they strive to make it an engine for positive change in the food system. They are stewarding the land in a way that not only respects but improves habitat for wildlife and builds better soil for future farmers. They also believe in creating a healthy, fulfilling, and fair work environment, and providing their customers with the best tasting, most nutritious, highest quality food possible.
SEA ISLAND RED PEAS
Steeped in history, these heirloom field peas are a more flavorful and diminutive cousin to black eyed peas and are grown only on the Carolina Sea Islands. Introduced from Africa by enslaved people, they became a staple of the Gullah Geechee kitchen, typically paired with Carolina Gold Rice. During the depression, cultivation came to a stop and the Sea Island Red Pea nearly went extinct. Thankfully due to a few small farms they are making a comeback. Sea Island Red Peas are the original ingredient for Hoppin' John, a Low Country New Years tradition served with collard greens and said to bring good luck all year. They are meaty and slightly sweet, but unlike the store bought black eyed peas you may have tried in the past they are packed with deep, rich flavor that can be described as "meaty." No matter what time of year, Sea Island Red Peas will enliven a pot of beans, salad, soups and stews.
EASY CARIBBEAN RED PEA STEW
In a large pot, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Sauté 1 diced onion until translucent, then add 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 diced bell pepper, and 1 sliced carrot. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp paprika, then add 1 cup Sea Island Red Peas and 4 cups vegetable stock. Toss in 2 Caribbean bay leaves, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until the peas are tender.
Once the peas are soft, stir in 1 can (400g) chopped tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let it simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and garnish with freshly chopped coriander before serving. Enjoy your hearty Caribbean Red Pea Stew!
WHAT TO DO WITH THEM
These flavorful little field peas are so delicious you'll find a million uses for them. We love them in this mouth watering Sea Island Red Pea Soup with Gruyere-Black Pepper Corn Cakes and on warm spring days we'll be making this Sea Island Red Pea Salad.
Sea Island Red Peas are the original ingredient used in Hoppin' John and after exploring many recipes for this dish, the Gullah recipe by chef BJ Dennis is our favorite. Click here to view the video.
SEA ISLAND RED PEAS WITH CELERY LEAVES
This very simple dish lets the flavor of these amazing heirloom field peas shine.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Sea Island red peas
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup diced celery (reserve celery leaves)
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 3 cups chicken (or veg) stock
- 2 Bay Leaves
- Salt and Pepper to taste.
Serve with Carolina Gold Rice and a good southern hot sauce like Red Clay Original Hot Sauce.
DIRECTIONS:
In a thick bottom pot sauté the onion, celery and carrot until tender. Add stock, thyme and bay leaves. Rinse the red peas well and add to the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes until tender. Remove the thyme stem and bay leaves, top with chopped celery leaves and serve with Carolina Gold Rice and hot sauce.
ABOUT MARSH HEN MILL
Greg Johnsman is passionate about preserving traditional Southern foodways on the South Carolina Sea Islands. He and his wife Betsy farm and mill heirloom ingredients at Marsh Hen Mill on Edisto Island, where Betsy's family has farmed for generations. In addition to Sea Island Red Peas, Greg grows Carolina Gold Rice and Jimmy Red Corn on their Sea Island farm and mills the finest cornmeal and grits around on his ancient milling equipment from the 1940s.
ORGANIC BLONDE CALIFORNIA JAPONICA RICE
Fresh Milled California Japonica has the ultimate fresh and nutty flavor with a delicious fragrance and bold taste that will leave you craving more with every bite. The extra bran layer is packed with nutrition, keeping you fuller, longer. This 100% organic rice is grown and milled in sunny California by a small family farm determined to change the way you think about rice.
WHAT TO DO WITH IT
We love using this delicious sushi rice for easy summer poke bowls but it also makes an amazing risotto! Of course you'll want to start with some sushi rice. This recipe from New York Times is a great guide. Make sure to pick up some really good rice wine vinegar like this one from American Vinegar Works. Try your hand at making some sushi at home, its really fun and easier than you think. Got left over sushi rice? This 10 minute traditional Japanese rice soup will hit the spot. You could also turn them into Onigiri or Japanese Rice Balls with this step by step instructions from The Spruce Eats. Or simply serve it as a side dish topped with some spicy seaweed sprinkles (furikake) like they do in Japan.
ABOUT THE FARMERS
We are so honored to have the award winning family farm Chico Rice in the August club! They are some of the only farmers who mill and pack their own rice. This means that all their rice comes from the same place and they know exactly how it was grown - responsibly, sustainably, and with the utmost love and care.
The rice is 100% CCOF and USDA Certified Organic and Non-GMO
ZERO PESTICIDES
ZERO HERBICIDES
ZERO GMOS
ZERO STRAW BURNING
NOTHING ARTIFICIAL
Every bag of rice they sell is lovingly hand-packed by the same farmers who grew it from the seed.
At Chico Rice, they bring unparalleled freshness to the consumer! Using their unique artisan rice mill, they can provide the freshest possible premium rice before the delicate flavors escape the grain. Until you smell and taste the difference between their fresh milled rice and the store-bought stuff, you won't realize what you've been missing!
KING CITY PINK BEANS (BEAN ONLY)
The King City Pink has a rich history and a big flavor. They have a delicious taste that will knock you over it's so good. King City Pinks are dense and meaty with a delicate, thin skin and a luscious broth. The are about the size of a navy bean, larger than the other pink bean famous in California, the pinquito.
In the 1800s Charles King purchased inexpensive land on the central coast region of California not far from Monterey. When he was successful growing wheat, King City was born and quickly became an agricultural hub also growing the pink beans that bear its name. By the 1930s when John Steinbeck wrote Tortilla Flats, King City was shipping pink beans across the nation. Steinbeck has deep connections to King City and mentions the pink beans in Tortilla Flats and uses the town as a setting for several scenes in Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck's father claimed to have been the first permanent resident of King City and he met and married his wife there.
WHAT TO DO WITH THEM
These delicious pink beans are so flavorful you hardly have to do anything to them, but their dense meaty texture makes them an excellent choice for many vegan meals. They reminded us of a more flavorful chickpea so we came up with this mouth watering King City Pink Curry.
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