Did you know that Washington bean farmers grow a dozen different kinds of edible beans??    These are: Black beans, Cranberry beans, Dark Red Kidney beans, Garbanzo beans, Great Northern beans, Navy beans, Orca beans, Pinto beans, Rojo Chiquito beans, Small Red beans, White Kidney beans and Yellow beans. 

Did Orca beans catch your eye? These are “an heirloom variety from Mexico but very rare in the U.S. Most often used in thick soups or with rice. Named after the Orca whale.” 

I learned this reading about Central Bean in Quincy, Washington. This family-owned business has been providing dry beans for more than 30 years. From their website one can order #5 bags of most of their varieties for $5.00 plus shipping. For $15 you can order a “Simply Beans” cookbook. 

I urge you to visit their website simply for self-education. All those types listed above are described. Beans are planted in the spring when the ground warms up and are harvested within 90 to 120 days. Harvesting is August through October. When the beans arrive at the elevator for processing and packaging, they are tested to determine moisture content, percentage of damaged beans and foreign material…. After testing the beans are cleaned. Central Bean uses a sophisticated method to accomplish this to ensure a quality product to be shipped throughout the world. 

Their website, www.CentralBean.com, even offers three pages of how to store, soak and cook beans. (“Don’t over-soak; beans soaked longer than 12 hours can absorb too much water…”) 

And this last, “Dry beans are the richest source of vegetable protein available. Combining beans with a small amount of animal protein (meat, cheese, egg) or small amount of grain (corn, wheat, rice) will create a complete protein….”