By Elizabeth Warburton-Smith
According to www.TribetoTable.com, tepary beans have been grown in our Sonoran Desert for countless generations. These extremely drought tolerant and heat loving beans are super heart healthy providing more protein (21 grams per ½ cup) and more fiber than regular beans and they also have a lower glycemic index. They taste a bit nutty and retain their shape after cooking.
To grow these amazing beans, plant them in amended native soil and don’t water them too much. They will need support like a trellis as they are vining plants.
Harvest the bean pods when the plant has died off in the fall and the pods are completely dried out. Shell the beans by hand or you can ‘dance’ on the shells on top of a tarp or sheet and then winnow out the lighter dried shells. Don’t forget to compost the dried shells as beans are a legume and will add needed organic nitrogen to your soil.
To cook these delicious beans, soak about 16 oz of dried beans overnight. Drain the water and then rinse with clean water (recycle all that water into your garden).
Put the drained and rinsed beans in a crockpot and add about a Tablespoon of minced garlic, a couple of dried chili pods (optional) and water to cover. Do not add salt to cooking beans as it could inhibit the beans from cooking thoroughly so instead salt to taste afterwards.
Set crockpot to high and bring to a boil. Lower dial to low and cook 8-10 hours until soft. They will retain their shape after cooking but can easily be mashed if you want to make a refried style bean. I like to mash the beans thoroughly and use it as a bean spread on corn tortillas or as a dip for corn chips. I usually add salt, cilantro and sometimes a little fresh salsa at this point too. Serve with any kind of tortillas (flour or corn, soft or crunchy), lime wedges and Spanish rice for a wonderful protein rich, meat free meal.
Options: add chopped onions, bacon pieces, cumin, and/or black pepper to the crockpot at the beginning of the cooking time. You can also increase the water to make a delicious bean soup.
See my youtube video for more info on tepary beans: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJfkw4VjmrI&t=5s
Elizabeth Warburton-Smith is the founder of the Rita Ranch Community Garden inspiring others to grow organic food. Elizabeth & husband Chef Greg own Wrapido, a mobile food business selling grilled chicken wraps & signature lemonades highlighting organic & local ingredients. Gardening tutorial videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/RitaGardens Contact Elizabeth: WeLoveToGrow@gmail.com.