A Gift From the Tarahumara Bean Bag
I met my pal Christopher Ann on one of the online food forums and we've been buddies ever since, even taking two trips to Mexico together. In fact, I wouldn't...
The Rancho Gordo Blog
In the garden
Menu For Hope
From the Menu for Hope site: Every year, Food Bloggers from all over the world get together for a fundraising campaign. We call our campaign 'Menu for Hope'. Last year,...
Rancho Gordo in Wine Spectator Magazine
Things have been wild at the warehouse this week. We noticed a sharp increase in Internet sales and figured it must be people thinking about the holidays and presents. That...
June in November
What's going on here? It's November and it's mild and pleasant and things are still happening in the garden. Several bean plants have new growth and even new beans. I...
Tomatillos Milperos
If you grow tomatillos (tomates verdes, Physalis ixocarpa) once, you'll probably have them for life. If only one of the fruits falls to the ground, your future will most likely...
Tarahumara Tekomari Runner Beans
I love big fat runner beans like Runner Cannellini and Scarlet Runners. They are meaty and often exude a delicious pot liquor. They are great in a chile sauce, with...
Vacacita Beans Revisited
I was walking through the trial gardens with some friends, mostly to collect sunflower seeds, when my eagle eyes spied some actual bean pods among the foliage of the Vacacita...
Bean flowers
People don't tend to know how beautiful bean flowers are. Let's put an end to that right now! These were the last to germinate but the first to bloom. They...
Vacacita beans
I bought about a pound of beans called Vacacita in Mexico City this spring. I planted them very late here in Napa (July 1) but they came up by the...
Dealing with prickly pears
My cactus has gone nuts this year and I have dozens and dozens of prickly pears and a constant stream of paddles. I'm thinking of selling the pears at market...