The Bean Book from the Rancho Gordo Kitchen
The Bean Book from the Rancho Gordo Kitchen
From Steven Sando, the founder of...
From £30.00 GBP
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Bold and beautiful little beans with the variegated look of Friesian cattle, carrying a clean flavour and light, balanced character 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. |
The gorgeous markings of these Vaquita Negro ("Black Cow") beans stay vivid even after cooking. Their flavour is mildly sweet, with a lightness that suits brothy dishes, vegetables and citrus‑bright preparations. They hold their shape well, absorbing seasoning gently.
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
They’re excellent simmered with onions, tomato and a little bay for a clean pot that shows off their contrasting colours, or brightened with coriander stems, lime and wilted greens. Try them with slow‑cooked leeks, garlic and olive oil for a gentler dish, or folded into a broth with sweetcorn, courgettes and a splash of vinegar for lift. They also work well alongside roasted peppers with a touch of cumin, and hold up beautifully in warm salads with herbs, citrus and grilled vegetables. For something simpler, serve them warm with butter, black pepper and fresh herbs to let their clear flavour and distinctive pattern stand out.
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
Vaquita Negro Beans
Further info
Tasting notes: Dark, grain‑leaning flavour with a quiet mineral lift
Similar to: Orca, Calypso, Zaragoza, black turtle beans
Latin name: Phaseolus vulgaris
Country of origin: Mexico
Sold in resealable 500g bags
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Typical values Per 100g Energy 1420kJ (339kcal) Fat 1.2g of which saturates 0.2g Carbohydrate 58g of which sugars 0.6g Fibre 12g Protein 25g Salt 0.01g
