We're Over the Moon: Meet Buttermilk Bean!

We are over the moon about our new partnership with Buttermilk Bean! We met them in the most unusual (and very public) way, but we knew instantly that we wanted to support these incredible farmers growing delicious heirloom beans with regenerative practices. We could not be more thrilled to be cheering on their work caring for the land and feeding their local community in the Finger Lakes region of New York. And the best part? Their Rojo Chiquito beans are starring in our December box, the one that kicks off what's shaping up to be our best Heirloom Bean + Grain Club year yet.

How Did We Meet Buttermilk Bean?

We met Buttermilk Bean when we were both caught up in press coverage of a generic-trademark dispute over bean subscriptions. It's a crazy story, really. Neither of us went looking for this story to be written. In fact, we both declined to go on the record at first! We're not about bad blood or calling anyone out, but we both wanted to do right by small farms everywhere, and we stand firmly rooted in keeping generic, over-reaching trademarks and patents out of agriculture. If you missed the drama, the San Francisco Chronicle and the LA Times both covered it. For the record, nobody is being sued. Buttermilk Bean renamed their subscription the Bean Share, and ours is what it has always been: the Heirloom Bean + Grain Club (no trademark required). We did tidy up the couple of spots where we'd used a shorter, totally logical, very generic nickname for it. Somewhere in all that, we found kindred spirits, and here we are!

Who Is Buttermilk Bean?

Buttermilk Bean is a farmer-run, women-owned collective in New York's Finger Lakes that grows and sells heirloom dry beans raised with regenerative practices. They're doing something we love: building a resilient regional staple crop economy, one bean at a time. They grow some of what they sell and source the rest from neighboring farms committed to regenerative practices, so every bag supports a whole web of local growers. It all started in 2021, when Kristen Loria began growing dry beans, popcorn and cover crops at Lo Rida Farm in Danby, NY. Kristen has been farming since 2013. She cut her teeth on small Hudson Valley vegetable farms before falling head over heels for dry beans at Sparrowbush Farm in Livingston. Then she went and earned a master's in plant breeding (yes, really!), and today she specializes in dry beans that are as beautiful as they are delicious: heirlooms and brand-new varieties bred right on the farm, all grown with soil health in mind. East Coasters, you have a treat close to home. Check out their Bean Share and get to know your Finger Lakes bean farmers! Want the whole story? Read our Meet the Farmer profile of Buttermilk Bean.

What Is a Rojo Chiquito Bean?

Rojo Chiquito is a small red bean bred from Central American landrace varieties and released in 2001 so it could grow in the cooler, wetter northern U.S. Ours is grown for Buttermilk Bean by Harvey and Evelyn Zimmerman, Mennonite farmers in Penn Yan, NY. (Sorry, no farm photos this time!) Small red beans have been a cornerstone of Central American cooking for centuries: the heart of frijoles rojos, gallo pinto and brothy pots of red beans and rice, grown season after season on small farms that saved and replanted their own seed. Rojo Chiquito carries that lineage forward, much the way our Southwest Gold carries forward the best of the heirloom Zuni Gold.

The catch? Its Central American landrace ancestors couldn't handle the cooler, wetter north. So WSU agronomist An Hang, working with USDA-ARS researchers Philip Miklas, Matt Silbernagel and George Hosfield, spent years adapting the plant. They bred in resistance to curly top virus and bean common mosaic virus, plus an upright habit that keeps it off wet ground, all while holding onto the flavor, looks and color its ancestors were prized for. Released under a name that honors its roots while being honest about its adapted status, Rojo Chiquito can now thrive somewhere its ancestors never could, including the small farms of New York's Finger Lakes.

And where a bean grows matters more than you'd think! Research on common beans has found that growing environment alone can visibly shift traits like seed coat color. One study found beans grown in Michigan came out noticeably darker than the exact same variety grown in Nebraska. Every harvest carries a little of the farm that grew it, which is exactly why we're so passionate about knowing who grew your food.

Who Grows Our Rojo Chiquito?

Our Rojo Chiquito comes from Harvey and Evelyn Zimmerman, who farm 800 acres of grain crops, dry beans, hay and pasture in Penn Yan, NY, and raise beef cows too. Their beans are grown with regenerative practices, without synthetic fertilizers or synthetic chemicals. Here's the part that gets us really excited: Harvey grows his dry beans in an innovative no-till system. Instead of tilling and cultivating to prepare the soil and manage weeds, he plants the beans straight into a mulch of cover crops. It helps protect soil health and prevent erosion, and it is tricky to get right! Harvey keeps experimenting with no-till year after year, and it shows just how committed he is to caring for the soil in the rolling hills of the Finger Lakes. We think you can taste it.

What Do Rojo Chiquito Beans Taste Like?

Rojo Chiquito beans taste earthy and faintly sweet, with a creamy, buttery texture. In the pot they cook up into a deep red broth while staying firm and holding their shape. Small, quick-cooking and endlessly versatile, they're perfect for gallo pinto, a brothy pot of red beans, chili or a hearty vegetable soup.

What Can You Make With Rojo Chiquito Beans?

Red beans are deeply traditional in Honduras, where they're most often turned into refried beans, the heart of the country's most iconic street food, the baleada. This simple, beloved dish wraps refried red beans, sour cream and cheese (sometimes with scrambled eggs or meat) in a flour tortilla. If you want to make it right, the tortilla is the whole game, and it's easier than you'd think: this video walks you through it. For the baleada itself, The Recipe Island's Honduran Baleadas is a great place to start, written by a home cook straight from her Roatán kitchen.

Rojo Chiquito is just as happy in Roxana Jullapat's Gallo Pinto or our Vegan Red Beans and Rice. Swap it in for whichever bean each recipe calls for and let its color and quick-cooking size do the rest.

What Is the Heirloom Bean + Grain Club?

The Heirloom Bean + Grain Club is our monthly subscription of heirloom beans and grains from small family farms, and supporting those farms has been its mission from the very beginning. Beans and legumes are important pillars of regenerative agriculture. We started the club back when we were a nonprofit. During the pandemic, the small farms we worked with were struggling without restaurants and farmers markets, so we came up with a way to keep their harvests moving. It was tiny at first, just a few dozen passionate people backing the kind of food system we all wanted to see. To this day, the club is all about small family farms. Our dream is for people all over the US to discover small farms close to them, and every single membership helps us grow to support more of them. Partnering with Buttermilk Bean is that dream in action. So here's our big ask: join both! Grab a membership in our Heirloom Bean + Grain Club, and sign up for Buttermilk Bean's Bean Share CSA too. There's no such thing as too many beans, and every membership puts real support behind small farms. Welcome to the family, Buttermilk Bean!

Rojo Chiquito + Buttermilk Bean FAQ

How long do Rojo Chiquito beans take to cook?

Rojo Chiquito beans are small and quick-cooking. In our test kitchen they cooked in 25 minutes in the Instant Pot, using 1 cup of beans to 4 cups of water with a piece of kombu, salt, half an onion and a head of garlic. Salt your cooking water from the start, and save acids like lemon or tomato until the beans are soft. Our Bean Cooking Guide has more tips.

Who grows Buttermilk Bean's Rojo Chiquito?

Harvey and Evelyn Zimmerman grow it on their 800-acre farm in Penn Yan, NY, with regenerative practices and no synthetic fertilizers or synthetic chemicals. Harvey plants the dry beans into cover crop mulch using a no-till system.

Where can I get Rojo Chiquito beans from Buttermilk Bean?

Buttermilk Bean's Rojo Chiquito is featured in our December Heirloom Bean + Grain Club box. You can also give the club as a gift subscription. On the East Coast, Buttermilk Bean's own Bean Share, shipped four times a year, is another great way to eat Finger Lakes beans.

Where is Buttermilk Bean located?

Buttermilk Bean is based in New York's Finger Lakes region. Founder Kristen Loria grows at Lo Rida Farm in Danby, NY, and the collective sources from neighboring Finger Lakes farms.