Organic Rio Zape Beans - Limited Edition
$11.95
Beloved by chefs and revered as "the noblest bean" by The Washington Post, this rare organic grown heirloom bean comes to us from family owned Fifth Crow Farms. It will blow your mind as a refried bean, and it makes an amazing mole taco!
The Rio Zape bean is a true Mexican heirloom treasure, beloved for its beautiful mottled appearance and exceptional flavor. The name "Rio Zape" comes from the Zape River region where these organic heirloom beans have been grown for generations.
What sets Rio Zape apart is its remarkable ability to hold its shape during long cooking while developing an incredibly rich, almost meaty flavor. The beans create a luxurious, dark broth that's perfect for hearty dishes. Their firm texture and robust taste make them ideal for Mexican classics like frijoles de la olla, but they're equally at home in contemporary dishes where you want beans that can stand up to bold flavors and extended cooking times.
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.
Harvest: Fall 2024, Best By Fall 2026
1 lb bag
Fresh Beans = Last Year's Harvest! Don't worry—this is actually when beans are freshest. After fall harvest, they spend winter being carefully processed and are bagged fresh each spring. So 2024 beans in 2025 means peak freshness! We believe beans are best within 2 years of harvest (others say 3), ensuring you get the finest quality.
Cooking Notes
Harvest Info
Better beans come from healthy soil.
We partner with family farms committed to nurturing healthy soil—the foundation of truly exceptional beans. Our single origin beans have the farmers name and harvest date right on the package. Non-gmo, glyphosate free and always grown with traditional farming methods the way nature intended.
Bean Cooking Guide
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After much research we've put together the definitive guide to cooking heirloom beans.
Heirloom Bean Cooking Times
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Your guide to cooking heirloom beans to perfection—bringing out their unique flavor, texture, and heritage in every pot.
FAQ
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Beans are harvested once a year, typically in the fall. After harvest they are dried, cleaned and processed and finally put into bags and ready for you in the spring. Sort of like wine, last year's harvest is this year's beans! We put the harvest date and farmer on every package so that you can keep track in your pantry but once you try our beans, they won't last long.
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Our modern, corporate food system prioritizes efficiency and cost cutting over flavor and nutrient density. To get a bag of beans to your grocery store for just a few dollars they mix together beans from farms all over the globe, keeping them in huge bins and transporting them from broker to wholesaler to distributor to store with identical bags stamped with a best by date that is at least 3 years from harvest. We choose to be radically transparent, even though its much harder and costly, because we think that everyone should know exactly how their food was grown and who grew it. Honoring the people who are doing farming differently is one of our most deeply held values and thousands of happy customers agree.
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Regenerative is a fancy way of saying that you grow things the old fashioned way, in harmony with nature and not against it. We only partner with farms that prioritize soil health and use traditional farming methods because we know that better tasting beans come from healthy soil.
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The weedkiller glyphosate (aka Roundup) is not used for the production of any of our beans.
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The majority of our beans are certified organic however not all small farms can afford the process of certification. All of our beans are glyphosate free and our partner farmers where chosen for their incredible growing practices, prioritizing soil health and people health.
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We could spend all day talking about all the reasons to love dried beans:
- One bag of beans equals 3 cans of beans, from packaging to shipping dried beans are better for the planet with a much smaller carbon footprint.
- Unique heirloom varieties.
- You get the bonus of a pot full of magical bean broth instead of mystery liquid that you'll rinse off.
- They soak up liquid as they cook — which means any aromatics, herbs, and spices you add will infuse your beans with even more flavor.
Canned beans are super convenient but if you batch cook beans and freeze them in the cooking liquid it's nearly as convenient as canned and way more delicious! Check out our guide to freezing beans.
- One bag of beans equals 3 cans of beans, from packaging to shipping dried beans are better for the planet with a much smaller carbon footprint.
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Our farms and facilities do not grow, store, or process nuts, soy, or peanuts, so there is very little risk of cross-contamination. However, if you have a severe sensitivity, please use caution – none of our beans are certified by a third-party as being free from these allergens. Our co-packer does handle products containing milk and eggs, but the machine used to handle our beans does not come into contact with these allergens. In the case of gluten sensitivity, beans are often grown in rotation with wheat and other grains, which is the case with a handful of our farms. However, these crops are not grown in the same field at once and in the rare case that wheat kernels get mixed in, they would be removed during the cleaning process. As always, we recommend rinsing beans in clean water every time, even when they appear clean, and inspecting for small stones.
