Pot Luck Beans of America Selection
Pot Luck Beans of America Selection
Can't choose from the amazing selection...
From £84.40 GBP
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It was love at first sight for the Heirloom Bean Company with this big beauty. It’s also a nutritional powerhouse - that deep purple skin indicates a high content of super-antioxidant anthocyanins - and boasts a robust starchiness that evolves into buttery perfection with a longer cook. The Heirloom Bean Co sources these Phaseolus beans from Mexican bean and authentic food specialist La Comandanta, working to revitalise traditional Mexican agriculture by preventing the loss of native seeds, as well as ancestral cooking and cultivation processes. |
In leguminati circles, Ayocote Morado ("Purple Runner") is venerable queen of the runner beans. They have been a crucial part of indigenous Mexican agriculture for millennia, often cultivated within the traditional milpa system alongside corn and squash: a symbiotic relationship in which the beans enriching the soil with nitrogen, a cornerstone of sustainable farming. The name "Ayocote" itself comes from the Nahuatl word "ayocotl", underscoring its deep cultural and linguistic ties to the region. Its satisfyingly beefy texture is a good fit for those trying to move to a more plant-based diet, or vegans in search of a slap-up meal. Ayocote Morados provide a deep, bouillon-flavoured stock, ideal for soups and slow-cooked stews. They’re also a great side for a steak!
Working with La Comandanta
The Heirloom Bean Co has forged a new partnership with Mexico City’s La Comandanta, a business working to identify, rescue and promote authentic Mexican foods grown and made by rural producers using traditional farming and culinary methods. Through this partnership The Heirloom Bean Company is now fairly trading heirloom beans grown by smallholder farmers and processed and packed in Mexico.
La Comandanta’s motto Cocina una Revolución ("Cook a Revolution") describes their ethos that eating authentic food is an act of cultural and agricultural resistance to mainstream agrifood corporations. They’re committed to fair and transparent trade, and supporting social and economic development.
A key concern is the seed diversity and agricultural heritage of Mexico, with Bolivia one of two centres of genetic diversity of the Phaseolus bean species. La Comandanta aims to revive traditional Mexican farming and save heirloom varieties from extinction. Many farmers have stopped growing these varieties for lack of access to fair markets and fear of crop failure. To encourage and support them La Comandanta pays a fair price for crops and offers advance loans at the time of sowing.
The Heirloom Bean Co has visited many of the farmers growing beans to understand the challenges they face and pays an additional 15% premium over the farmgate price into a fund to cover the loans in case of any crop failure. As beans fall outside the usual commodities covered by fair trade labelling schemes the Heirloom Bean Co has introduced its own Fairly Traded emblem to communicate their partnership of trading fairly.
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Kitchen Suggestions
Pot beans, soups, salads, chilis, casseroles. The best way to appreciate this gorgeous bean's unique flavour is to cook it simply, low and slow. Simmer the beans gently with water or stock, a halved onion, a few cloves of garlic, and a sprig of marjoram or oregano. Be patient to allow that texture to soften into creaminess, then finish with a generous pinch of salt and a drizzle of high-quality olive oil. Ayocote Morado is the perfect base for a robust vegetable or meat stew - it’s particularly well-suited to Mexican-inspired chilis, such as a Mole Bean Chili where that deep flavour can complement the rich, complex notes of a mole sauce. This bean’s firm texture after cooking means they won't fall apart in a salad - mix with roasted vegetables, a tangy vinaigrette, and fresh herbs like coriander or parsley. Naturally enough they’re also great on tacos or tostadas - gently mash cooked beans until tender, combine with a smoky chili sauce, then serve on the tortillas of your choice with avocado, radishes, and lime-pickled onions.
Cooking these beans
Look over the beans to remove any stray bits, then rinse well. In a heavy pot, gently cook your base vegetables - onion, garlic, celery, carrot - in a little olive oil until fragrant. Add the beans and pour in enough water to cover them by roughly 5 cm. Bring to a strong boil for 10–15 minutes. Lower the heat to maintain a slow, steady simmer, partially covering the pot to keep the temperature even, and cook until the beans are fully tender, usually 1–3 hours. Add salt once the beans begin to soften. A short soak of 2–6 hours will help reduce the total cooking time.
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Ingredients
Ayocote Morado Beans
Further info
Tasting notes: Elegant, dense, creamy
Similar to: Ayocote Negro, Ayocote Amarillo, Scarlet Runner
Latin name: Phaseolus coccineus
Country of origin: Mexico
Sold in resealable 500g bags
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Typical values Per 100g Energy 1237kJ (294kcal) Fat 1.2g of which saturates 0.3g Carbohydrate 38g of which sugars 2.4g Fibre 18g Protein 23g Salt 0.01g
