Remembering the 2024 Heirloom Bean Encuentro
It's been a busy year with the publication of The Bean Book, new crops, and now a move to downtown Napa, but it seems essential to remember one of the...
The Rancho Gordo Blog
AN EXPERIMENT WITH SPLIT PEAS
Most Californians who drive north or south on Interstate 5 (I-5) look forward to the pea soup at Andersen's. Is it so great or is the ride so boring that...
A Newbie’s Journey to Cooking Beans in the Instant Pot
Written by Rancho Gordo employee Cecilia Ortiz. As a home cook, I am always looking for ways to save time in the kitchen. The Instant Pot has intrigued me for...
The Heirloom Bean Encuentro Menu
These are the different courses from the Heirloom Bean Encuentro. It was a little too much food, which isn't clear from these photos. There was a lot to eat! As...
The 2023 Heirloom Bean Encuentro : Rancho Gordo Bean Supper at Alta Baja Market
My friend Delilah Snell is a wee bit nuts, She has the energy of a hurricane, but she also can have the focus of a mathemetician. She loves making...
Testing Techniques for Refried Beans
I sometimes believe my love of beans came from the can of refried beans my family would use for tostada nights in the late 1960s and 1970s. I loved the...
Remembering Our Days at the Farmers Markets
A recent post on our Instagram account has lead me down a nostalgic path. I've always been fortunate but looking back over the years, I had to work really hard...
Gordo-Con: The Heirloom Bean Encuentro at Alta Baja
Delilah Snell, the genius behind Alta Baja Market, had the idea to celebrate our heirloom beans and throw a real party. Years earlier, we had a nice dinner but this...
The Sorana Bean. From Tuscany, With Love
Last autumn I was in Italy for the first time in way too long. This was the funny time when we all thought this covid thing was waning and we...
Happy Harvest: Frijolon Gris
It has been a long time since I played in the garden. I have not been a good steward of my land and as we got busier and busier over...
Jesús Helguera, Our Calendar Artist
One of the first things I did when I started Rancho Gordo was to offer free calendars every year featuring almost exclusively the art of Jesús Helguera. I love the...
Fennel and Thyme Roasted Beans
This is a fine recipe from Thomasina Meyers in The Guardian. I asked the staff if they would make it and it was as good as it sounds, although calling...