May 2025 Heirloom Bean and Grain Club

May's Heirloom Bean and Grain Club offers a stellar lineup of ancient treasures: Organic Blue Moro Beans, Organic Snowcap Beans, and Organic Whole Einkorn Wheat Berries. This collection celebrates the rich tapestry of agricultural heritage preserved by small family farms committed to traditional farming methods. The striking indigo Blue Moro Beans deliver a robust, earthy flavor and dense yet silky texture that transforms beans and rice into a masterpiece. The beautiful Snowcap Beans—with their distinctive white caps atop chocolate brown bodies—cook into creamy, versatile legumes perfect for spring salads and vegetable dishes. Completing this month's trio, Einkorn Wheat Berries represent one of humanity's earliest cultivated grains, offering a nutty sweetness and satisfying chew alongside impressive nutritional benefits. Each selection in this month's Heirloom Bean and Grain Club connects us to agricultural traditions spanning millennia while supporting the dedicated farmers who keep these vital food legacies alive.

Organic Blue Moro Beans, Organic Snowcap Beans, Organic Whole Einkorn Wheat Berries

THE BEAN ONLY CONTAINS:

Organic Blue Moro Beans, Organic Snowcap Beans, Organic King City Pink Beans

OUR NEW AND IMPROVED CUSTOMER PORTAL

Now you can easily claim rewards, add to your next shipment and so much more! We made a video walking you through exactly how easy it is to add some goodies to your order and get cash back. WATCH THE VIDEO.

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. 

Welcome To Beantopia

How To Cook A Perfect Pot of Beans

The Definitive Guide To Cooking Beans

Bean Recipes

ORGANIC BLUE MORO BEANS

This very rare bean comes from Brazil. It's one of those beans that is so beautiful you don't know if you should cook it or put it on the table as a centerpiece. The dappled steal blue color is striking. Don't be tempted to leave them in the pantry or turn them into jewelry though because you'll be missing out on a rare treat. The moro is like a cross between a pinto and a black bean with a creamy dense texture and thin skin. The flavor is closer to a black bean with earthy undertones and a broth so velvety and delicious you'll be lapping it up. Fifth Crow Farms got their hands on the seeds for these gems from Brazil through a seed exchange and they are growing them organically. 

WHAT TO COOK

Brazilian Beans is somewhat of a national dish. Different from traditional Latin bean dishes with cilantro and lime, this uses white wine vinegar and parsley, more European ingredients from the Spaniards that settled in the region.  You may want to enjoy the national drink of Brazil with it, the caipirinha.  Brazilian beans are very similar to the cuban favorite, Moros Y Christianos (Moors and Christians, so named after the dark beans and white rice).  

BRAZILIAN BEANS

1lb of Blue Moro Beans

6 Cups of Water or vegetable or chicken stock

2-3 bay leaves

olive oil

1 yellow onion chopped

3 cloves of garlic, diced

3-4 Tablespoons of white wine vinegar (we like the chardonnay or rosé by American Vinegar Works)

1/4 Cup diced parsley

salt and pepper to taste

2 Cups Delta Belle Rice 

Directions:

1. Soak the beans then cook in a large pot with water and a liberal sprinkle of salt and bayleaves until tender (about hour), or cook them from dry in a pressure cooker on high for 40 minutes. If using a pressure cooker reduce the amount of liquid. You need just enough to cover the beans with an inch to spare.  This step can be done up to 3 days in advance, just refrigerate the cooked beans in their liquid until you are ready to make the rest of the recipe.

2. Begin cooking your rice. I sort of cheated and used Carolina Gold Rice because it's so darn delicious, but long grain white rice is traditional. 

3. While the rice is cooking, cook the bacon (if you are using) in a pan until the fat renders and it starts to brown. Pour off all but a tablespoon of fat, add the onion and sauté until tender, add the garlic and sauté another minute, adding olive oil as needed to keep the mixture very moist.

4. Mix the onion and garlic mixture with the beans including their liquid and add the vinegar. Cook for 5-10 minutes to meld the flavors and warm the beans if they had been in the fridge. Take a 1/2 cup of the beans and liquid out and blend them in a blender then mix back into the dish to increase the thickness of the broth. Add the parsley, taste, add salt and pepper and additional vinegar if needed. Serve with rice. 

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.

ORGANIC SNOW CAP BEANS

These distinctive organic heirloom beans have a lovely white "snow cap" sitting atop a cappuccino colored bean about the size of a pinto bean. They are so pretty, they are one of the beans we find ourselves enjoying in the pantry ALMOST as much as in the pot. Grown on organically on a small family farm, these Snowcap Heirloom Beans plump up to become very large beans with a distinctive potato like texture that makes them perfect with tomatoes or simply topped with an Italian salsa verde and paired with wine and a crusty bread. 

Not much is known about the history of Snowcap Beans. Some will say they are from Peru (as so many bean varieties are) however most agree that they originated here in America, not Europe or South America, making them rather unique in the bean world. Farmers have experimented with cross pollenating their plants since the dawn of time, trying to create distinctly delicious beans that thrived in their area. Whoever created the snowcap, we raise a glass of California Pinot Noir to you as we enjoy a bowl of these time-honored beauties tossed with roasted tomatoes and topped simply with herbs and olive oil (also from California). 

How To Cook Snowcap Heirloom Beans

They may look like other common beans but there are some things you should consider when cooking them:

• Snowcaps cook up HUGE so they take a while to hydrate.
• Soak For Faster Cooking These are one of those beans where it pays to soak overnight to reduce your cooking time. If you do not soak them make sure to add extra water to the pot because they will about triple in size, requiring a lot of liquid for that much hydration.
• Do NOT skip the salt when cooking the beans, the salt helps the skins soften for more even hydration.
• Add olive oil for a silky texture and YUMM taste.
• Stovetop Method: If you have the time I personally think that the slow and low stovetop method (with plenty of olive oil) will give you the most creamy beans with the best bean broth. It's worth the wait. Rinse the beans fully and add them to a dutch oven or thick bottom pot. Add a tablespoon of salt, at least 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a 4 inch piece of Kombu, 2 Caribbean bay leaves and 3 sprigs of parsley. Add more water than usual, enough to come up to your 2nd knuckle. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for 1 hour to 90 minutes if the beans were soaked and 2 hours if unsoaked. Check the pot often and add water as needed. DO NOT STIR THE BEANS. You will break the beans if you stir. Instead, gently shake the pot to make sure all of the beans are covered with water at all times.
• The Instant Pot works almost as well and certainly reduces the cooking time but you may find that some beans escape their skins and split but they'll be just as delicious. Rinse the beans fully and add them to your pressure cooker. Add a tablespoon of salt, at least 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a 4 inch piece of Kombu, 2 caribbean bay leaves and 3 sprigs of parsley. Add more water than usual, about half way to your 2nd knuckle. Pressure cook on high for 20 minutes if soaked and 37 minutes if unsoaked, allowing the steam to escape for at least 20 minutes.
• You can make the beans 1-3 days in advance and keep them in the refrigerator in their cooking liquid.

Snowcap Beans with Italian Salsa Verde: A Marriage of Heirloom Legumes and Vibrant Herb Sauce

Hidden gems of the bean world, Snowcaps command attention with their dramatic transformation in the cooking pot. These remarkable legumes expand to impressive proportions, developing a texture that rivals the fluffiest mashed potatoes—creamy, substantial, and satisfying to the last bite. With their distinctive white caps and mottled burgundy bodies, Snowcaps aren't just visually striking; they're a textural revelation that absorbs flavors while maintaining their integrity. We've paired these magnificent beans with zesty Italian salsa verde, a vibrant herb-forward sauce that cuts through the richness with bright, briny notes—not to be confused with its Mexican namesake, which relies on tomatillos rather than parsley for its verdant character. GET THE RECIPE

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. 

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.