Spilling the Beans.
One of our absolute favorite things at Family Dinner is introducing our members to new products and the wonderful people who make them.
In addition to bringing back a Spice mix from our friends at Curio Spice Co, this week we traveled to Maine to meet with some of the folks from Baer's Best and learn about their love of heirloom beans. We toured the farm, checked out some crazy bean machines and brought you home some delicious souvenirs. We know that beans can seem annoying and time-consuming. However, Baer's Best crop is always fresh harvest and cooks quickly, without the need for pre-soaking. And they are super tasty.
In Charley Baer's own words:
"For over 25 years our farm has been growing dry beans, mostly heirloom varieties that have grown here in the Northeast since colonial days. These types include Jacob’s Cattle, Yellow Eye, Soldier and others. Dry beans originated in Central America, and as with other staple crops such as corn and potatoes, were brought here by Native Americans.
"These days only a few New England farms still produce dry beans, most of them small operations in Central Maine. I learned to grow beans in this region, and at the same time began collecting unique local varieties from farmers that had been growing them for generations. These days many of these beans are rarely if ever seen in markets. Most bean production has shifted to the West where only a few common types such as Navy and Pinto are produced on huge acreages. Lost in this transition were the wide range of beautiful range of colors and shapes of this highly nutritional food that these days are seldom seen."
We love working with guys like Charley and his team to bring you these rare little gems. Enjoy!
In addition to bringing back a Spice mix from our friends at Curio Spice Co, this week we traveled to Maine to meet with some of the folks from Baer's Best and learn about their love of heirloom beans. We toured the farm, checked out some crazy bean machines and brought you home some delicious souvenirs. We know that beans can seem annoying and time-consuming. However, Baer's Best crop is always fresh harvest and cooks quickly, without the need for pre-soaking. And they are super tasty.
In Charley Baer's own words:
"For over 25 years our farm has been growing dry beans, mostly heirloom varieties that have grown here in the Northeast since colonial days. These types include Jacob’s Cattle, Yellow Eye, Soldier and others. Dry beans originated in Central America, and as with other staple crops such as corn and potatoes, were brought here by Native Americans.
"These days only a few New England farms still produce dry beans, most of them small operations in Central Maine. I learned to grow beans in this region, and at the same time began collecting unique local varieties from farmers that had been growing them for generations. These days many of these beans are rarely if ever seen in markets. Most bean production has shifted to the West where only a few common types such as Navy and Pinto are produced on huge acreages. Lost in this transition were the wide range of beautiful range of colors and shapes of this highly nutritional food that these days are seldom seen."
We love working with guys like Charley and his team to bring you these rare little gems. Enjoy!
