Rancho Gordo Beans

Rancho Gordo Beans Glorious, Old-Fashioned Heirloom Beans
Rancho Gordo might just ruin you for other beans—these beans cook up faster, taste creamier, and have such rich flavor. Rancho Gordo grows beautiful, quality, dried heirloom beans that are fresh and have fantastic varieties. Because they are fresh, they take less time to soak.

These beans will make all the difference in your cooking, and you will thank us for turning you on to Rancho Gordo. If you have been eating supermarket beans all your life, you are in for a pleasant surprise.

Rancho gored is a family-owned business that grows its beans in Napa County, and their main mission is preserving these heirloom varieties to make them available for our kitchens. They grow their beans like a vegetable crop and save seed stock for next year. You can even plant their beans and grow your own crop!

Here is what we are carrying right now:

Ayocote Negro
This thick skinned bean is beautiful and very large. It starts out firm (not starchy), and goes from dense to creamy with continued cooking. It has a darker, inky bean broth. Suggested used include pot beans, soups, salads, chili, and casseroles.

These beans are part of the The Rancho Gordo-Xoxoc Project, where Rancho Gordo has created a partnership with Mexican farmers to grow this indigenous crop in Mexico. They produce fantastic beans and the farmers are thriving.

Domingo Rojo
A classic red bean, essential to dishes like New Orleans Red Beans & Rice, and equally important to many Caribbean cuisines. Domingo Rojo holds its shape when cooked, and the thick bean broth coats every rice grain or noodle with a luxurious sauce. Cook them with onion and bay leaf for wonderful flavor. Delicious in red beans & rice, chili con carne, and great in salads.

Pinto Beans
The classic bean—soft, creamy and versatile. Pintos cook quickly and create converts to new crop, heirloom beans. You can use pintos in all kinds of Latin and Mexican cooking, from pot beans to refried beans. They’re essential to Norteño cooking and delicious in a plate of carne asada.

Santa Maria Pinquitos
The small, dense orbs produce a beefy bean broth. An essential part of California cuisine, they are the heart of a tri-tip barbecue and yet they’re perfectly at home in meatless meals. This very small, chili-type bean is loaded with California history—the crop may have originated during the Mission era. It’s delicious and meaty and the perfect match for any barbecue, chili or even salad.

Vadquero
A classic chili bean that holds its shape through long, slow, cooking and exudes a generous, dark, rich broth. A really lovely cousin to the Anasazi bean, Vaquero have intriguing black and white markings, not unlike an appaloosa horse. The flavor is somewhat like the Anasazi but it’s a little lighter. The real fun is the inky, black pot liquor. It looks cool and tastes great. Enjoy them as a classic charro bean and they are delicious in pot beans, chilis, and stews.

Prepared Hominy
White Corn Posole is prepared in small batches and ready-to-cook. It is superior to canned hominy. After a gentle simmer, dried hominy opens up like a delicious flower and is ready to use in soups, stews and the classic southwestern and Mexican dish, Pozole. The corn is prepared by soaking in mineral lime, then removing the skins. This process, called nixtamalization, changes the flavor for the better, and introduces the vitamin niacin, making this ancient grain healthier and more nutritious than simple corn or cornmeal.

Use cooked hominy to make Pozole. You can also use cooked hominy in salads, soups and stews, or tossed with some beans or bitter greens. Leftovers can be pureed for hominy grits.

 

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