March 2026 Heirloom Bean and Grain Club

GOOD MOTHER STALLARD BEANS

Good Mother Stallard beans carry one of the most beautiful origin stories in the heirloom bean world. Named for Carrie Belle Stallard of Wise County, Virginia — a woman in the heart of Appalachia who grew and saved these beans as a cherished family heirloom — this variety dates back to at least the 1930s, quietly passed between neighbors and generations long before the outside world took notice. The beans might have been lost entirely if not for John Withee, a Massachusetts bean collector who dedicated nearly two decades of his life to preserving the heirloom varieties of his youth. After receiving seeds from Carrie Belle, Withee donated his entire collection of over 1,186 bean varieties to the Seed Savers Exchange in 1981, giving Good Mother Stallard the second life it deserved. And what a bean to save. Visually, it's breathtaking — deep burgundy swirled with white, like stars scattered across a night sky, and one of the rare few that holds that stunning color right through cooking. The flavor is rich, meaty, and deeply nutty, with a pot liquor so silky and flavorful it's practically the whole point. These beans reward simplicity: a pot with good water, onion, garlic, and a splash of olive oil is really all you need to understand why generations of Appalachian families kept saving these seeds year after year.

WHAT TO DO WITH THEM

They are famously used as a soup bean because of that delectable bean broth but they are so flavorful you barely need to do anything to them. Of course a simple bowl of brothy beans topped with some parsley and a drizzle of olive oil served alongside a crusty bread is the ticket. If you're looking for more we suggest this Kale and Good Mother Stallard Stew.  

ABOUT THE FARMER

Small Town Specialties is a family owned and operated business. Allen and Kendral are passionate about bringing you Non GMO, and Gluten-free products grown without Glyphosate directly from their farm in northern California. What started with just a handful of beans, years later has turned into a flourishing crop. 

FLOR DE MAYO

Beloved by cooks in Central Mexico for its rich flavor and pretty pattern, this ear-shaped bean (also known as “media oreja”) will take your favorite pinto dishes to the next level. This purplish pink heirloom bean isn’t well known north of the border but is an essential in Mexican cooking. Flor De Mayo are small, tender beans that have a delicate flavor and give off a velvety bean broth making them ideal for Friolles de la Olla (the OG brothy bean recipe). For thousands of years this bean has been a staple food in northern Mexico.

WHAT TO DO WITH THEM

Start simply with frijoles de la olla — just these gorgeous organic heirloom beans, water, and perhaps a few aromatics — and let their earthy, creamy magic do the work. From that pot of beans, a world of essential Mexican preparations opens up: smoky Charros simmered with bacon and chiles, rich Oaxaqueños layered with pasilla negro and herbs, or hearty Puercos braised with pork and longaniza. The incredible bean broth these small family farm beauties produce also makes them extraordinary in soups — try them in our Winter Detox Stew for a deeply nourishing bowl that showcases why traditional farming methods and ancient growing wisdom produce beans unlike anything you'll find at the grocery store.

ABOUT THE FARMER

Carlos and Ana María Albarrán are a husband and wife farming team, preserving regional heirloom specialties on their certified organic family farm in the heart of Morelos. This fertile basin, fed by rivers running down from the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, has been home to indigenous Nahua farmers since long before the Spanish arrived — some historians believe this very region is where Mexico's first agricultural settlements took root nearly 3,500 years ago. It's also the birthplace of Emiliano Zapata, who fought and died for peasant farmers' right to own and steward their own land. That spirit lives on in farms like Carlos and Ana's, where they grow a rainbow of organic heirloom beans, vegetables, and herbs, preserving regional varieties that have been passed down through generations. The care they give to this remarkable land is something you can taste in every bite.

WHOLE EINKORN WHEAT BERRIES

Einkorn, a German word meaning ‘single grain’, is one of the oldest cereal grains to be cultivated by man for human consumption and is believed to have been domesticated around 7500 BC. Once the primary grain of in the UK it fell out of favor in the Bronze Age and almost disappeared until being rediscovered by small farms and artisanal bakers just a decade ago. The grain has delicious and complex flavours, as well as presenting various nutritional benefits to the consumer such as higher levels of protein and antioxidants than regular wheat. This ancient wheat berry offers delicious possibilities for pilafs, risottos, soups, and salads. You can use it to substitute for rice or barley in all of your favorite recipes. 

WARM EINKORN, CHARD AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH SALAD

This hearty warm salad is a delicious side or vegan main dish perfect for a festive holiday meal. Tart cranberries are balanced by the sweetness of butternut squash and apple cider making it a fall favorite. 

ABOUT BLUEBIRD GRAIN FARMS

Bluebird Grain Farms’ mission is to cultivate and mill the most irresistible, nutrient-rich ancient grains they can while leaving this land healthier for the next generation. In 2004 Sam and Brook started Bluebird Grain Farms as a husband and wife team because they could not find locally grown organic grains in the Pacific Northwest. Bluebird’s founding principles in soil health, nutrition, and agroecology are being expanded as they partner with like-minded “tried and true” organic grain farmers who share their founding principals of growing food for soil health and optimal nutrition. 

WHITE TEPARY BEANS (Bean Only Version)

These organic heirloom beans are the original superfood of the Sonoran Desert having sustained Native American people for countless generations. Highly acclaimed for it's nutritional value the stotoah bavi (white tepary bean) is noted for its unique and delicious naturally sweet yet savory flavor and creamy texture. The white tepary bean make delicious hummus, soups, salads, dips and spreads. 

Ramona Farms shares with us their traditional foods grown on the ancestral lands of the Akimel O'Odham (Gila River Pima) tribe in Arizona's Sonora Desert. An ingredient in the Slow Food Ark of Taste, the tepary bean is believed to be the world’s most drought tolerant bean, and higher in fiber and protein than most other beans with a low glycemic index and superior taste.

 

ABOUT THE FARMER

We are honored that Ramona is sharing with us the food traditions of her tribe, the Akimel O'Odham (Gila River Pima) Community. Ramona's father, Francisco ‘Chiigo’ Smith, an O’dham farmer, grew many traditional crops on the Gila River Indian Reservation in Arizona. Her mother was an herbalist and traditional healer. Together they taught Ramona the value of their traditional foods  and way of life. She continued the traditions with her own family, farming on this ancestral land with her husband.

In the late 1970’s, some community elders asked Ramona and her husband us to grow the Bafv (tepary bean), which had nearly become extinct due to the lack of water that put many of the local subsistence farmers out of business. They discovered that her father had left a few seeds of the white and brown tepary beans in glass jars in a trunk in the old adobe house that she grew up in. They knew that it was to become their mission to ‘bring the bafv back’ to the community. 

The tepary bean is part of the Slow Food Ark of Taste and its roots go back thousands of years in our native foodways. The remains of the tepary have been found in archeological sites in Mexico that are 5,000 years old and it has been grown in what is now California and Arizona for thousands of years. This incredibly hearty bean was a staple food source for Native American tribes who cultivated it to survive in the incredibly arid conditions. 

It is through Ramona's tireless efforts that we can now enjoy this delicious part of our American cultural heritage and honor the traditions of the Akimel O'Odham people and their ancestors that have cared for the land for generations. 

CREAMY WHITE TEPARY BEAN HUMMUS 

• 1 cup dry tepary beans
• 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1 garlic clove chopped fine.
• Kosher salt
• Olive Oil
• Chili oil drizzle (optional)

Cook the tepary beans in a pressure cooker or stovetop until very soft (45 minutes in pressure cooker). Strain the beans reserving the liquid and put them in a blender. Add lemon juice and tahini. Place the chopped garlic on a cutting board and sprinkle with kosher salt. With the back of your knife mash the garlic and salt into a paste and add to the blender.  Add 2 tablespoons of the bean cooking liquid to the blender and blend on high speed. Add more bean liquid until you reach your desired consistency.  Drizzle with olive oil and/or chili oil and chopped parsley for serving.