December 2025 Heirloom Bean and Grain Club
December's Heirloom Bean and Grain Club is a celebration of gratitude, tradition, and the remarkable community that has supported small family farms for the past five years. As we gather around our tables this holiday season, we're thrilled to welcome new friends who may have received this box as a gift, and to honor our longtime members who have been champions of heirloom beans, ancient grains, and the farmers who grow them with dedication and care. This special holiday edition features some of our most treasured ingredients—rare finds that deserve a place at your Christmas table and tell stories that span generations.
This month, we're featuring the stunning Ayocote Morado, hand-harvested from a smallholder farm practicing traditional Milpa farming; Organic Mayflower Beans from Blue House Farm, with their beautiful red-speckled pattern and creamy texture; and the extraordinary Fat Red Hominy, crafted using indigenous techniques that honor Chef Dave Smoke McCluskey's Mohawk heritage. Each ingredient in this box represents more than sustenance—it's a connection to the farmers, the land, and the traditional farming methods that have nurtured these crops for centuries. Whether you're a longtime subscriber or joining us for the first time, we're grateful you're here, supporting organic heirloom beans and the small family farms that grow them.
Ayocote Morado Beans, Organic Mayflower Beans, Fat Red Hominy
THE BEAN ONLY CONTAINS:
Ayocote Morado Beans, Organic Mayflower Beans and Organic Rio Zape Beans
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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
MAYFLOWER BEANS
It is said that the Mayflower arrived in the US in the 1620s, bringing with it the Mayflower bean. More accurately though, the Mayflower bean was returned to its ancestral lands by the pilgrims. Like all Phaseolus vulgaris,the Mayflower would have originated in the new world, descended from beans cultivated thousands of years ago in Peru. After colonists re-introduced the Mayflower to the Americas, the bean was widely circulated among the colonists of the Carolina region of the country. The Mayflower plant has short pods that hold the small, square shaped beans. The beans are a beautiful creamy color with dark-red speckles.
ABOUT THE FARM
Blue House Farm grows drop dead gorgeous beans from the gorgeous, fertile land in Pescadero and San Gregorio, California. Ryan Casey became interested in farming in college while taking agriculture courses. After completing an apprenticeship at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems and working on several farms, he decided to start an organic farm. The farm started in 2005 on 2 acres and has steadily grown to over 75 acres in production. Farming in two different microclimates allows Blue House Farm to grow over 50 types of certified organic farm products. Among the lettuce, tomatoes, herbs and peppers Blue House Farm grows excellent organic beans.
WHAT TO DO WITH THEM
These creamy, somewhat earthy beans have a silky texture and a delicious bean broth. They are so divine that they need little more than some garlic, herbs and perhaps a bayleaf to produce a delicious pot of beans. All I need is a loaf of good bread to soak up the mouthwatering pot liquor. That broth makes them perfect for our Mayflower Bean 3 Sisters Stoup or try a vegan twist on my childhood favorite food, Heirloom Bean Pot Pie .
BEAN WELLINGTON
This show-stopping Vegan Bean Wellington with Red Wine Reduction is the plant-based centerpiece your holiday table has been waiting for. Imagine flaky, golden puff pastry enveloping a savory filling of heirloom beans, earthy mushrooms, toasted walnuts, and fresh herbs like thyme, sage, and rosemary—all tied together with layers of umami that rival any traditional meat dish. Make this recipe with either the Mayflower or Rio Zape beans. With its beautiful presentation and deeply satisfying flavors, this Wellington proves that plant-based holiday cooking can be every bit as decadent and memorable as the classics. GET THE RECIPE
ORGANIC AYOCOTE MORADO BEANS
This ancient heirloom bean is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the Americas. We love the amazing flavor and dense, creamy texture. The Ayocote Morado is a gorgeous purple color that becomes a chocolate brown when cooked. With its meaty texture and rich delicious bean broth the Ayocote Morado is one of our favorite beans and a regional specialty grown for generations in the fertile soil of the Puebla region. This majestic heirloom bean has roots in Southern Mexico, and is traditionally enjoyed with roasted poblanos and chile-laden moles. Raised among vegetables and fruit trees, Ayocote Morado is born from a red flower that’s also used ornamentally.
WHAT TO DO WITH THEM
The first time we had these beans we cooked them simply with just salt and water and the broth was simply mouthwatering. We added mole sauce and served with a fried egg and cilantro on top for a deeply satisfying meal. With their large size and meaty texture they are also an excellent choice for vegan main dishes like our Ayocote Bean Bourguignon which makes an excellent Christmas Dinner.
ABOUT THE FARMER
San Rafael Tlanalapan sits high in northern Puebla, where volcanic soil and cool nights make a fine place to grow beans. For generations this region has raised corn and runner beans. Every August the villages celebrate the Festival of Chiles and the fields hum with harvest rhythms. Out of this place comes the Ayocote Morado, a large, deep purple runner bean with a rich history and a big, comforting flavor.
Grupo Agrícola San Juan, run by César Díaz and his family, is part of that story. They tend their fields the way their parents and grandparents did. The result is a bean that is honest, textured, and full of character.
César farms in San Rafael Tlanalapan, working land that benefits from soils touched by nearby Popocatépetl. The volcanic soil holds minerals and gives the beans a depth you can taste. On the Díaz farm things move at a human pace. Horses still pull the plow. Weeds get pulled by hand. Pests like grasshoppers are not just battled but managed in ways that fit the land and the people who live on it.
This is small scale work. It is early mornings and long afternoons. It is family labor and village know how. César focuses on growing big, healthy Ayocote Morado beans. He rotates fields with poblano chiles, corn, and onions so the soil can rest and rebuild. Those rotations keep the farm resilient and reduce the need for chemical inputs.
FAT RED HOMINY (Bean + Grain Version)
Mohawk Red Corn, sometimes called Mohawk Red Bread Corn, is one of the rarest and oldest corn varieties still in existence. In 2016,Rowen White, a renowned seed keeper, farmer, educator, and member of Mohawk Akwesasne tribal community brought the last known cob of Mohawk Red to the Native American Seed Sanctuary in the Hudson Valley where it was grown in hopes that it could be not only saved from extinction but rematriated to its ancestral land. In theHaudenosaunee (Mohawk) tradition, Corn Mother is a female spirit and all seeds belong to her. Corn was so much more than food, it was linked to traditions and rites of passage central to the community. The Mohawk Red was used to create ceremonial wedding cornbread. Today there are just a handful of small farms growing this special corn.
Mohawk chef, Dave Smoke McCluskey crafts hardwood ash washed hominy from this rare, ancestral corn in small batches to create his Fat Red Hominy. It's hard not to instantly think of the best Pozole you've ever had when you open the bag. The aroma is simply incredible. Chef Dave uses the techniques of his ancestors and the instincts of a chef in his unique Nixtamalization process which makes the hominy not only more nutritious, it creates an intense corn flavor with a whisper of smoke.
ABOUT CORN MAFIA
Once upon a pandemic a Mohawk chef found a new calling and the results are irresistible. Chef Dave Smoke McCluskey, founder of Corn Mafia closed his restaurant to pursue his passion for the most important of all indigenous ingredients, corn. These corns or O:nenhste as they say in Mohawk, are sourced from landrace, Indigenous farmed or organic sources.
He fire roasts his hominy after washing it to give it a signature taste of the past. Some people think Indigenous foods are or were bland. These products are meant to act as a foil to such unadventurous thoughts. What’s old is new, what’s old will never leave us.
TRADITIONAL POZOLE ROJO
Pozole rojo (or red pozole) is a beloved Mexican soup that has been enjoyed for centuries. This traditional recipe from Chef Dave Smoke McCluskey serves up a taste of the past with heirloom corn that has been nixtamalized with wood ash, lending the stew deep and complex flavors with a hint of smoke. This is a pozole for real pozole fanatics featuring a rich home made pork broth with scorched onions, and toasted whole chilis that compliments, rather than overwhelms, the taste of the corn which is truly the star. GET THE RECIPE
ORGANIC RIO ZAPE HEIRLOOM BEANS (Bean Only Version)
Beloved by chefs and revered as "the noblest bean" by The Washington Post, this 100% organic heirloom bean comes to us from Blue House Farms. It will blow your mind as a refried bean (as featured in Food & Wine Magazine), and it makes an amazing mole taco!
The Rio Zape bean is a true Mexican heirloom treasure, beloved for its beautiful mottled appearance and exceptional flavor. These medium-sized beans showcase a gorgeous cream-colored canvas painted with intricate maroon and purple streaks that make each bean a work of art. Originally cultivated in the mountainous regions of Mexico, particularly in Chihuahua and Durango, the Rio Zape is beloved by all lucky enough to have it. The name "Rio Zape" comes from the Zape River region where these organic heirloom beans have been grown for generations.
What sets Rio Zape apart is its remarkable ability to hold its shape during long cooking while developing an incredibly rich, almost meaty flavor. The beans create a luxurious, dark broth that's perfect for hearty dishes. Their firm texture and robust taste make them ideal for Mexican classics like frijoles de la olla, but they're equally at home in contemporary dishes where you want beans that can stand up to bold flavors and extended cooking times.
HOW TO ENJOY THEM
The Rio Zape gives off a delicious dark gravy and has a creamy texture and a complex flavor with a hint of chocolate. They are a natural fit for chili and they are amazing as a meat substitute in any mole dish. They make an excellent refried bean that is so simple to make it can hardly be called a recipe. They are also excellent in Red Beans and Rice, and if you've got some leftover beans from the pot try our new Oaxacan Rio Zape Breakfast Bowl.
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.
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