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Chickpeas have been farmed for 10,000 years. The history, the garbanzo debate, tan vs. black, and why dried beats canned — plus ours.

Why dried beans turn tough, how to store them right, and how to cook heirloom beans whether they're fresh from harvest or a few years old.

Everything you need to know about hummus — its ancient origins, how to make it from scratch, and how to nail every variation. Your definitive guide.

Six 4th of July recipes built around heirloom beans that steal the show, from a midnight-colored Medianoche bean salad to baked beans with zero bacon and zero canned-bean guilt. Whether you're firing up the grill or prepping ahead, these gourmet bean dishes bring real flavor and a little history to the cookout table. This is what happens when small farm beans crash the holiday lineup.

Meet the Medianoche, a rare ayocote bean that predates the Aztec Empire and is only now making its US debut. Grown by hand on the same Puebla land for three generations, each handful is a one-of-a-kind scatter of black, purple, and cream, no two batches alike. This is heirloom beans at their most stunning, with an inky broth and meaty bite worth seeking out.

The Medianoche heirloom bean has never left Mexico — until now. Bean & Grain Club members are first to taste this rare ancestral ayocote from Puebla.

The flageolet's pale green color isn't an accident — it's the result of 150 years of careful craft, a near-extinction, and one very dedicated French horticulturist.

Who owns the language of food? How trademarking descriptive terms threatens small farms, heirloom bean growers, and the agricultural commons.