Are Heirloom Beans Better?

This is a review of the advantages of using heirloom beans in your next beans recipe, and where you can purchase these special dry beans.

Jump to:

• The Popularity of Heirlooms
• What are Heirloom Beans?
• Are Heirloom Beans Better?
• Are Heirloom Beans Organic?
• Where Can I Purchase Heirloom Beans?
• Recipes Using Beans

Heirloom foods were all the rage a decade or more ago. Remember? Heirloom tomatoes, apples, potatoes (!), and yes heirloom beans started showing up everywhere from farmer's markets to restaurants.

If you're trying to go more vegetarian with your diet, beans should be front and center in your plan.

---

The Popularity of Heirlooms

The widespread modernization and industrialization of farming in the U.S. drove agriculture to producing more food per acre. This drive for improved yields and disease resistance made produce cheaper, more available, and more uniform. But unfortunately, in many cases, also less flavorful and less nutritious.

This, among other reasons, motivated seed savers to become stewards of the genetic diversity embedded in heirloom seeds. And now heirloom seeds is a big business.

The question is what does that mean to us the consumer, and are heirlooms really worth the extra cost? Because yes, their price is higher.

Since I eat a lot of beans, I focused my research there.

---

What are Heirloom Beans?

By definition, an heirloom plant is a varietal that has been passed down through families and / or farms from an earlier period in time. Historically, families saved seeds from good harvests, and even took cuttings from their vegetable gardens when they moved.

In a sort of Darwinian survival of the fittest contest, the tastiest often were the ones preserved through generations.

---

Are Heirloom Beans Better?

Heirloom beans cost more and are not as easily found. So, are they worth it?

The answer is absolutely yes.

They Taste Better

The cooked beans taste a lot better. It's kind of like comparing a Pinot from the Willamette Valley in Oregon to a box wine with a spout.

There's greater complexity to heirloom beans, as compared to the bland, mass-produced beans. And this brings bean dishes to another level.

There's a Wide Variety

When you go on a website that sells heirloom beans, the first thing you notice is the wide variety of beans to choose from, versus what might be on your grocery shelves. For example, instead of the "black beans" seen on any grocery shelf, when you look into comparable heirloom beans, you may see Ayocote Negro Beans, Chiapas Black Beans, Midnight Black Beans, Santanero Negro Delgado Bean.

And seriously, have you ever even heard of a yellow eye bean? I hadn't either, but I'm using them the next time I make a pot of these vegan baked beans.

There are so many beans I've never heard of, and it's interesting to learn a little about their history and try different flavors.

Heirloom Beans are Fresher

Beans on the shelf at your local market can be as old as 10 years, and are often at least 5 years old. Fresher beans means their cooking time is less and the cooked beans are more nutritious.

And More Digestible

A big advantage of fresher beans is that they are more easily digestible (aka causes less flatulence).

So, yes, it's definitely worth the effort to find and purchase heirloom beans.

---

Are Heirloom Beans Organic?

No, just because beans are heirloom doesn't automatically mean they're organic. The priority of growers is to preserve heirloom varieties, and keeping them commercially viable. If the yields are low or a crop is threatened, they may use conventional farming techniques, which may include fertilizers.

Where Can I Purchase Heirloom Beans?

You might be lucky enough to find them at your market. For example, I used to be able to find Rancho Gordo heirloom beans at a local market when I lived in the (San Francisco) Bay Area. But I was near the town where Rancho Gordo is located, and I've never seen them in any of my markets in Tahoe.

If you live in the Sacramento, California area, I can highly recommend Chili Smith's in Carmichael. They have an extensive variety of heirloom beans all grown in California, and have a store in Carmichael that's well-stocked.

Chili Smith Heirloom Beans

In case you're not familiar with Chili Smith, they have more than 20 varieties of heirloom beans, all sourced through Mohr-Fry Ranches in Lodi, California.

If you don't live close enough to swing by to pick up a few bags, just order your beans online through their website. Some of them have such fun names like Pebbles and Painted Pony.

Or, my personal favorite name, Oja de la Cabra (Eye of the Goat). When you see the beans on their site, you'll understand how they got that name.

I recently tried Chili Smith Black Garbanzo Heirloom Beans, which is officially my new favorite bean. Seriously, it might be the best bean I've ever had. They're a little smaller than the cream chickpeas we're all more familiar with, and taste slightly nutty with a fuller flavor. And I swear I can taste a little celery and herbs in the beans.

If you're interested in trying some new beans that just might be the best you've ever tried, you need to know Chili Smith.

Recipes Using Beans

I have a lot of recipes using beans here on the blog. Go to this link to look through them all! And next time you make a bean soup, go try something new. Order some heirloom lima beans you haven't tried, or kidney beans.

---

Note to Locals: If you live local to the Tahoe area, the Tahoe Food Hub also sells Chili Smith's heirloom beans.

Disclaimer: One of the big benefits of being a food blogger is that a lot of people send me product to try. Only if I love the product, will you hear about it here on my blog. The kind folks at Chili Smith sent me 4 different kinds of beans to try.