November 2024 Heirloom Bean and Grain Club

Welcome to the November edition of our Heirloom Bean and Grain Club! As the days grow shorter and mornings turn crisp, we’re excited to bring you two of our all-time favorite beans: the Organic White Tepary Beans and Organic Good Mother Stallard Beans. Both varieties offer distinct flavors and rich textures, ideal for cozy fall meals. This month, we’re thrilled to introduce a new addition to our club: hearty, unprocessed old-fashioned rolled oats, milled to order from a dedicated family farm in the Midwest. These delicious oats make for the perfect warm breakfast on chilly mornings and are a testament to the care and tradition of small-scale farming. Enjoy the bounty and comfort of this month’s selections, crafted to nourish and warm you through the season.

Organic White Tepary Beans, Organic Good Mother Stallard Beans, Organic Raw Oatmeal

THE BEAN ONLY CONTAINS:

Organic White Tepary Beans, Organic Good Mother Stallard Beans, Organic Pinquitos

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

WHITE TEPARY BEANS

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. 

WAYS TO ENJOY THEM

These sweet little white beans are a favorite of ours for all sorts of dishes from soups to salads. Try our Tepary Bean and Roast Parsnip Soup on chili winter evenings, add them to smashed avocado toast for a protein packed twist on an easy lunch, make Tepary Bean and Tuna Salad for sandwiches to go with your weeknight soup, and Tepary bean and Fennel Ragout makes great use of a fall farmers market haul. 

GOOD MOTHER STALLARD BEANS

With a bean broth that is to die for and a rich, meaty taste, Good Mother Stallard is a favorite among heirloom bean fans. These knock out burgundy and white beans are one of the few that retains their color through cooking. Named for Carrie Belle Stallard of Wise County, VA they date back to at least the 1930s. They seem to have been a family heirloom passed down through many generations and shared regionally before seeds were donated to the Seed Exchange in 1981. 

What to do with them:

They are famously used as a soup bean because of that delectable bean broth, if it cools down enough for you to enjoy a stew we suggest this Kale and Good Mother Stallard Stew.  For a weekend brunch we might use them in this Good Mother Stallard and Poached Egg dish with Salsa Verde. That creamy texture reminds us of butter beans so we're also using them for a more interesting version of this Butter Bean Salad with Miso Bagna Cuada from chef Jeremy Fox. 

ABOUT BLUE HOUSE 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. 

ORGANIC RAW ROLLED OATS 

We're so excited to have these farm-fresh rolled oats in the November Bean Club box—they’re like a big, warm hug from the Midwest! Perfect for chilly mornings, these oats come from a unique variety called *Avena nuda*, or hulless oats, which naturally lose their hulls at harvest. This means they’re full of raw, preserved nutrition and flavor. Cold-rolled into thick, old-fashioned flakes, these oats bring a rich, hearty taste to the table, making them ideal for a cozy porridge, homemade cookies, or a crunchy granola. Unlike commercial oats, Brian Severson’s oats are minimally processed and never heat-treated, so you get all the goodness of pure, farm-fresh grain.

Because these oats are fresh and never heated they should be stored in your refrigerator to maintain their delectable taste and nutritional integrity. 

WHAT TO DO WITH THEM

From refrigerator oats to warm bowls of porridge these oats will be a welcome addition to your mornings. You can even toss a couple tablespoons in your smoothie for added fiber and nutrition. Of course rolled oats aren't just for breakfast! We love them in these no-bake energy bites and who could go without delicious old fashioned oatmeal cookies just like grandma used to make! 

ABOUT THE FARMER

Brian Severson grows, harvests, and mills each batch right on his family’s farm in Dwight, Illinois. His farm, committed to organic and sustainable practices, carefully nurtures these non-GMO oats from field to table. Brian’s dedication shines through in every step of the process, ensuring the oats never leave the farm until they’re ready for your bowl. We’re thrilled to support Brian’s work and share these Midwest-grown oats with you, full of flavor and care from his family to yours.