Piute Yellow Tepary Beans - Rio del Rey Heirloom Beans

Piute Yellow Tepary Beans - Rio del Rey Heirloom Beans

As a matter of custom and tradition, heirlooms are objects of value passed down through families to friends and are gifts for future generations. Their value could lie within the object itself- made from precious metals and gemstones, or more subjectively in the value found in a favorite quilt, piece of furniture or treasured seeds. These are a living gift to plant and enjoy as they grow, then use in recipes handed down from one generation to the next.

Dry beans were first cultivated in Mexico more than 10,000 years ago, domesticated from wild plants, then cultivated and shared with peoples that spread both north and south to form some of the great empires of the Americas. Today, we find these beans in a multitude of shapes and colors throughout the world. It is these dry bean seeds that are the heartbeat of Rio del Rey.

Phaseolus acutifolius.  Ochre-colored traditional favorite from the Kaibab Indian Reservation in northern Arizona, and also grown on the Paiute Reservation near Shivwits in southern Utah.   Paiute tepary beans are among the northernmost collections of teparies available.

 Tepary beans have been grown by Native Americans for thousands of years; cultivated beans have been found dating to 500 BCE in the Tehuacán Valley in Mexico. Tepary beans appear to have been domesticated in a single event in northern Mexico, based on genetic evidence.

Delicious, rare.

About Rancho del Rey Farm

Rio Del Rey farm is located in Valley Center, California- about 45 miles north of San Diego. They specialize in growing heirloom dry beans of the highest quality from around the world. The farm began in 2011, with the experimental planting of many varieties of beans to find out which produced best and were able to adapt to the Southern California climate. In 2013, they began commercial production of 3 beans and currently grow over 12 varieties on land adjacent to the owner's home.  The farm serves as a model for what small farms can produce in a highly competitive marketplace using relatively inexpensive equipment and enhanced farming practices to produce a unique crop which is highly desirable for a healthy lifestyle.

Sold by the prepackaged pound