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FREE SHIPPING on orders over $50. For orders or assistance: 1-800-599-8323

FREE SHIPPING on orders over $50. For orders or assistance: 1-800-599-8323

FREE SHIPPING on orders over $50. For orders or assistance: 1-800-599-8323
Christmas Lima Bean - Rancho Gordo
Christmas Lima Bean - Rancho Gordo
Christmas Lima Bean - Rancho Gordo
Christmas Lima Bean - Rancho Gordo
4.8
(87 ratings)

Christmas Lima Bean

$ 7.25
Title

Free shipping on orders $50+

An unusual variation of the classic Lima. It offers a rich, full-bodied flavor, with a velvety chestnut texture. A true revelation for those who think they don't like Limas. 

"I hate lima beans!" is the reaction we get from most people when we show them the otherwise-appealing Christmas Lima beans. Customers are often surprised to hear that this a staff favorite!

Christmas Limas are an intriguing variation on the traditional Lima, thought to have originated in Peru (hence the name Lima). They have a distinct chestnut texture and (according to some) flavor, but it's so subtle that's up for debate. In Italy, you'll find them as Fagioli del Papa or Pope's Beans. Also known stateside as Chestnut Lima and sometimes Calico Beans. Whatever you call them, they've done a great deal to help fix the bad reputation of traditional Lima beans.

If you grew up thinking you hated Limas, you owe it to yourself to give this one a try.

Cooking Suggestions

Soups, salads, casseroles

From the Rancho Gordo Kitchen

There's a slightly grainy texture to this bean, but you can keep cooking past that and they end up being creamy. Christmas Limas can stand up to strong flavors, like a chile sauce or curry and pair particularly well with ingredients with a lot of umami, such as mushrooms and cheeses. Steve made a memorable meal once with Christmas Limas cooked in a Gorgonzola sauce!

Cooking Instructions

Check beans for debris, and rinse thoroughly. In a large pot, sauté aromatic vegetables (onions, garlic, celery, carrot, etc.) in olive oil. Add beans and enough water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a full boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, using a lid to help regulate the heat, and gently cook until done, 1 to 3 hours. Salt when the beans start to soften. A pre-soak of 2 to 6 hours will lessen the cooking time.

Similar to

Scarlet Runner, Large White Lima, Ayocote Morado

Latin name

Phaseolus lunatus

Country of origin

USA

"Heirloom Beans like Rancho Gordo's Christmas Lima beans are absolutely worth the (relative) splurge here: their texture and flavor are superlative."

Popsugar

CUSTOMER REVIEWS

4.8

87 Reviews

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93%
4
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Verified Customer Reviews

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Most helpful

Shelley

I love these beans and a perfect gift

These beans...oh man! Big and beefy and still soft and creamy. I love all the RG beans, so far, but these are magical.
I cook these beans many ways, the favorite amongst my crew seems to be in a rich, luscious broth--I put in the rind of a Jaarlsberg (when I can) and add some roots (carrot, daikon, rutabega) and celery--and served over fresh greens (arugula is nice) and a sunny side up egg. Its a perfect breakfast after a night of indulgence.

These beans are so well received (tasty ...More

Review on 31/01/2019

Carrie Bulger

Gorgeous colors and flavor

One of these days I will make these with a ton of mushrooms like RG recommends because I LOVE mushrooms. My bean-loving boy does not. So we eat these with lots of garlic and other stuff and we all love them.

Review on 16/04/2019

Debra sarver

Wowie

Served these curried on top of injera. An amazingly satisfying and filling meal.

Review on 18/07/2019

Tony Farese

Made chili with this bean & came out amazing

Soaked the beans overnight. Then started boiling in same soak water. Then crisp chopped bacon in iron skillet and set aside. Cook chopped yellow onion in bacon fat and add to beans. Then brown 1 lb beef in skillet, then add chopped red pepper and chili pepper and Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, cumin, etc. Then add a can of beer and 12oz tomato paste, 28oz crushed tomato and some beef broth then combined with the beans and let cook until tender and it was awesome.

Review on 19/10/2019

Jeff

Hearty & Tasty

I made these for the first time over the weekend. I cooked them in a pressure cooker and used them in place of the Ayocote Morado beans in Heidi Swanson's Ayocote Bean and Mushroom Salad. Delicious!

The product description is spot-on. They really are almost chestnut-like. They are absolutely nothing like the green lima beans I hated as a kid and still avoid as an adult.

I'll be ordering these again.

Review on 22/10/2019

Christmas Lima Bean

$ 7.25
Shipping Details

Free Shipping on each order $50 and over

FedEx Ground shipments, and one shipping location per order.

For orders less than $50: 
Our flat-fee shipping charges via FedEx Ground is $11 (regardless of weight)
One pound or One Thousand pounds, it's the same price. 

Our flat-fee shipping charge via US Postal Service is as follows:
$11 each 15 pounds
All shipments to Hawaii, Alaska, P.O. boxes, and APO/FPO/DPO addresses must go via USPS.

I just placed my order. When will I get my shipment?

It normally takes us 1 to 3 business days to process orders. If we are experiencing further shipping delays, we will add a note to the checkout page with further information.

We process and ship orders from Northern California Monday through Friday, via FedEx or US Postal Service. A shipment can take from 2 to 5 working days to be delivered after it leaves our warehouse, depending on where you live and what shipping service you selected. Please call us (707/259-1935) to arrange for faster shipping if you need your order to arrive sooner. 

Express Shipping?

Please call us (707/259-1935) to arrange for faster shipping if you need your order to arrive sooner. 

The Rancho Gordo Story

You Can Blame it All on the Dutch

I was shopping one August for tomatoes and, despite Napa being one of the world's most magnificent agricultural regions, all the tomatoes were from a hothouse in Holland! Worse, they were hard and pale pink instead of the ripe tomatoes I was craving. I started to grow my own tomatoes and this eventually led to beans.

My first harvested heirloom bean was Rio Zape. They were pretty and easy to grow but I had no idea what to expect when I cooked them. They were similar to the pintos I liked but there was so much more going on. Hints of chocolate and coffee mixed with an earthy texture made my head spin. I was blown away by Rio Zape and the other heirloom beans I was growing, but also really confused why they were such a big secret. I took the beans to the farmers market, organizing things on my kitchen table. Soon there was a warehouse, followed by more markets and mail order. It seems we had struck a nerve. People agreed that heirloom beans were worth saving, growing and cooking. Currently our warehouse, a retail shop, and offices are in Napa, California, and a stop here is part of many tours of the wine country. 

All of my agricultural pursuits have been based on being someone who likes to cook but gets frustrated by the lack of ingredients, especially those that are native to the Americas. One of the things that originally drew me to beans was the fact that they are indigenous to the Americas. It seems to me these indigenous ingredients should be familiar, if not common. American cuisine is re-inventing itself and I'd love to include ingredients, traditions and recipes from north and south of the border as part of the equation. I love the concept of The Americas. I feel as if it's just as important as the European heritage many of us share.

You can read more about the Rancho Gordo story here.

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