Outside, it’s almost officially winter and inside its unofficially Legume Season. We have some of the best beans around, thanks to our farmers, one of these being the Brossy family, owners of Ernie's Organics in Shoshone, Idaho. They grow nutrient-dense, organic food using regenerative agricultural practices, farming in a manner that promotes and demonstrates respect for the farm’s family, employees, customers, and community. Owners Judy and Fred Brossy, along with their son, Cooper and his wife Ahnna, and their daughters, believe in living simply on a regenerated landscape rich with biodiversity, in the power of the life held in a tiny seed, and in the inherent democracy of seed saving.
Photo: James Henderson, Hummingbird's Senior Farm Liaison, stands in the field with Fred Brossy, of Ernie's Organics in Shoshone, ID.
The Brossy family believes regenerating crop and range lands is imperative to the future for future generations and our planet. Adding carbon back into the soil, which tillage has released and eroded throughout our agricultural history, is one key way to reverse climate change. To this end, the Brossys are making a concerted effort to do that on their farm by keeping the fields covered with growing plants year-round, and minimizing soil disturbance.
This is all in an effort to make the farm more resilient and productive every year by increasing soil organic matter content, ultimately allowing them to raise more nutrient-dense crops with less water.
When asked how can our community best support their farm and other regional farmers, Fred responded, "Buy organic food from local producers and talk with the producers about their operations. Have a conversation with them about how the food is grown and what it takes to provide local food, including the true costs of production. While big organic and store brands have increased access to organic food, they have also created a race to the bottom in terms of transparency, food quality, fair compensation to the farmer, and carbon footprint."
Hummingbird offers legumes, many of which are grown in the US and more locally, the Pacific North West and Intermountain West. From Adzuki and Black Beans, to Black Eyed Peas, Garbanzo Beans and Decorticated Red Lentils we have a great variety. You can see our full selection of Organic Legumes on our website.
HOW TO COOK DRY BEANS
Home-cooked beans will have a better flavor and texture. Beans, peas, and lentils are not difficult to cook, although some of them require a bit of soaking.
Step 1, start by sorting and rinsing your legumes. Pour them out into a big bowl or casserole dish and, working methodically from one end to the other, carefully sort out and remove discolored or misshapen pieces and the occasional rock. Then fill the bowl or dish with cold water. Stir them with your fingers. Let the beans settle and remove and discard any that float to the surface. Drain the remaining legumes into a colander and rinse them well with cold running water.
Step 2, it's time to soak them. There are two ways for this, the long soak or the short soak.
For the long soak method, use a large bowl, add enough cool water to cover them by a 3-4 inches. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and soak for 4-12 hours depending on the legume, larger legumes like chickpeas and fava beans need at least 12 hours, smaller beans like black beans, pinto beans and dry peas need at least 4 hours, and some legumes like black-eyed peas, lentils and split peas do not need soaking at all.
For the short soak, start with your pot and add beans and enough water to cover by a 3-4 inches. Then bring the water to a simmer. Next, remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let the legumes cool for 1 hour. After soaking, your legumes are ready for cooking.
Now for cooking the legumes. Drain and rince the water that they soaked in. Using a large pot, add legumes and enough water to cover them by about 2 inches. Bring the water to a full boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. While cooking, stir occasionally, and add more water if the level drops near the legumes. Simmer the legumes gently until tender. Once they are tender, you can start adding salt and other seasonings, otherwise the skin can toughen not allowing them to get soft.
Now you can add your cooked legumes to any soup or stew or serve as a side dish. They are also perfect for making veggie burgers.