Articles & Essays

Carol Stein grows it

For fun last summer, my dad and I tried growing pinto beans from dried ones we bought at the grocery store. I wrapped the beans in moistened paper towels and stored them in a plastic bag overnight.  By morning, most of the moistened beans had already begun to sprout.

Since legumes enrich the soil, it’s fine to plant a dried bean crop where fresh green beans have grown, or in any sunny garden spot.  Dad planted the sprouted beans, and three days later called to say the sprouts already had leaves.

This experiment shows how easy it is to grow your own food. It turned out that our pinto beans were the vining rather than the bush variety, so Dad staked them when they were tall enough to twine. They only reached a couple of feet up the stakes, but keeping them off the ground helped the drying process along later

We let the bean pods mature and turn brown on the vine. When the pinto pods began splitting open in mid-October, he harvested them.

We shelled the lightly speckled beans and spread them in one layer on newspaper to dry for a few days.  As they dried, the beans got darker and the speckles become more pronounced. When they’re completely dry and hardened, the beans will keep indefinitely in glass jars or waterproof plastic bags. 

If you don’t have a row garden already prepared, supplement your summer container gardens by sowing a few pinto beans among the fading flowers.  Top the soil with a layer of fresh compost or poultry litter to pump up the nutrients. Water well, and then care for the beans as you would any annual flowering plants.

Debbie Moose cooks it

Pinto beans are neglected by many cooks. Black beans have a Southwestern vibe, lentils that Asian allure, even black-eyed peas go gourmet Southern. But pintos – it’s sort of hard to place them.

Pintos can star in a number of dishes. Traditional Mexican refried beans use pintos, and the beans are often called “red Mexican beans.” They can extend or stand in for meat in chilis.

Like all beans, pintos are economical protein sources. I purchased a pound of dried pintos for about $1.50, and growing your own would be an even bigger money saver.

Dried pintos should be soaked for eight hours or overnight in cold water before cooking. To save time later, soak and cook a lot of pintos, then package them in airtight containers and freeze them. They will keep in the freezer for up to six months.

Canned pintos are a quick alternative to dried, and still inexpensive. I rinse canned beans before cooking with them to remove some of the salt from processing. But you won’t have that issue if you start with dried ones.

My mother cooked pintos the old-time Southern way: Simmered on the stove with a hunk of fatback. I’m going in a different direction. Since it’s the height of cookout season, this recipe makes a good sidedish for burgers or hot dogs, or a hearty main dish. I adapted it from a recipe in Bon Appetit magazine, but I made my version vegetarian to give non-carnivores something to enjoy at the cookout.

Reach Carol Stein and Debbie Moose at tastefulgarden@hotmail.com.

Sweet-Hot Root Beer Pinto Beans

Select a good-quality root beer with natural flavorings and sweetener (look for a local brew). Do not use diet root beer. These beans are spicy – if you can’t take the heat, lower the amount of chili powder.

1 pound dried pinto beans

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups chopped onions

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 cups root beer

1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 ½ teaspoons chili powder

½ teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons honey

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

SOAK the dried beans in ample cold water for 8 hours or overnight, then drain.

PLACE a large saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions. Cook, stirring, for five or six minutes or until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the beans, root beer, paprika, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, honey, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes.

PLACE the mixture in a slow-cooker. Cook on the High setting for three hours.

Yield: 6-8 servings.