This past weekend a friend of mine took me to her favorite farmers market, the one in old town Scottsdale. It was mega crowded and people seemed to be really enthusiastic about the produce and other products available at the various stands. There were six cashiers for the produce stand and each line was at least 6 people deep. And I can see why. The produce on display was beautiful!
I picked up some goodies...tangelos because I can never pass them up, a giant Meyer lemon for some lemon cookies I owe my mom, giant green onions from Kyoto because I love green onions, an English cucumber because it looked so nice and I decided I needed some cucumber sandwiches this week, cranberry beans because they looked cool and I want to cook more with beans, and TEPARY BEANS!
Ever since I first learned about tepary beans, pretty much when I started this blog, I have been looking forward to trying them. They are native to the Southwest and used to be a staple of local Native Americans. Tepary beans are supposed to have a really high protein content and are very low glycemic. They are by no means easily found in regular grocery stores though. You won't find them canned, or even in the dried bulk bins. You almost have to special order them online, especially if you don't live in the Southwest. The Tohono O'odham Nation is one of the bigger producers of tepary beans, and one of the few. So, I was greatly surprised to see them at the Old Town Farmers Market at the McClendon Select Organic Farms stand and I snapped up a bag to try. There were three varieties: black, white, and brown. I went with brown.I'll be writing up a whole post on the tepary beans when I get a chance to make a few recipes with them. I'm really looking forward to it. And I am very much considering making the tepary brownie recipe I found, plus maybe a dip and a stew of some kind. ::drool::
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About:
Local growers, specialty food producers, and artisan vendors.
What to Buy: Organic and pesticide free produce, cider, freshly baked artisan breads, jams, [vegan] tamales, [vegan] baked goods, hummus, raw crackers, flavored olive oils, and more.
Hours:
Saturdays 8:30 am - 1:00 pm
October 31, 2009 - May 29, 2010
Location:
3854 N. Brown Ave.
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Parking:
Located on the corner of First Street and Brown Avenue in Old Town Scottsdale. Free Parking is provided in the underground garage, street and adjacent lots.
Kyoto Kujo-Negi (aka Kyoto green onions)
(l to r:) Brown Tepary Beans, English
Cucumber, Kyoto Kujo-Negi, Meyer
Lemon, Tangelos, & Cranberry Beans
For a list of several Farmers Markets in Arizona, please click here.
And for the Mill Avenue Farmers Market, click here.
4 comments:
I love beans too. I had some cranberry beans last week. Some of them are still in fridge for supper tonight. About one day a week is Bean Day for me where my main food is beans.
Tell me about the tepary beans when you cook some up. How they compare in taste to other beans, ect. I've never eaten one.
Duke, do you have any special recommendations for the best use of cranberry beans? I don't know that I have every had them before and don't know how their personality for foods.
And I will definitely tell you all about the tepary beans as soon as I get on that. :)
Cranberry beans have a unique taste but most closely track pintos in size, taste, and texture. I'd say use them as you would a pinto bean knowing the taste will be unique to cranberry beans.
Sorry I can't pass on a recipe because I'm not a vegan. I am in no way saying vegan beans aren't great though. I've had some vegan bean dishes to knock your socks off. Yours will be great I'm sure.
Just substitute cranberry beans for pintos to get a different, unique taste variation on your favorite dishes.
Ok, that helps! I'll try them in something pinto-y.
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