Oregano Indio
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Versatile, hand-harvested indigenous herb with earthy flavor, direct from the Huasteca.
If you've traveled to Mexico and enjoyed the food, it's likely you came home and tried to replicate some of the dishes. We can do a pretty fair job with the ingredients we have on hand in the U.S. but there's often a certain something that's different and I've come to believe it's the different oreganos of Mexico. Each one seems a little different but they all seem a little earthier than their European namesakes. Our new oregano is Oregano Indio, (Poliomintha longiflora A. Gray), sometimes known as Oreja de Raton, or Mouse's Ear. It's less citrusy than the standard Mexican oregano and there's an indescribable earthiness that makes it infectious. I just can't stop using it on almost everything.
This oregano is grown for us by the Oregano Caxtle Cooperative in Tlahuitelpa. You can add it to all sorts of salsas and guisados but lately I love mixing it with some garlic and olive oil and rubbing it over a pork tenderloin before roasting it. The flavor of the oregano is strong but not overpowering and permeates the whole loin. I've also used it with oil and pear vinegar for a great salad dressing.
In 2013, we took the crew from The Perennial Plate down to meet the growers and they came up with this award-winning video (probably not the best for vegetarians.) It's hard not to be touched by these wonderful people. The fact that their oregano is so delicious is a great bonus.
Homeward from The Perennial Plate on Vimeo.
Latin name
Poliomintha longiflora A. Gray
Country of origin
Mexico
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The Rancho Gordo Story
You Can Blame it All on the Dutch
I was shopping one August for tomatoes and, despite Napa being one of the world's most magnificent agricultural regions, all the tomatoes were from a hothouse in Holland! Worse, they were hard and pale pink instead of the ripe tomatoes I was craving. I started to grow my own tomatoes and this eventually led to beans.
My first harvested heirloom bean was Rio Zape. They were pretty and easy to grow but I had no idea what to expect when I cooked them. They were similar to the pintos I liked but there was so much more going on. Hints of chocolate and coffee mixed with an earthy texture made my head spin. I was blown away by Rio Zape and the other heirloom beans I was growing, but also really confused why they were such a big secret. I took the beans to the farmers market, organizing things on my kitchen table. Soon there was a warehouse, followed by more markets and mail order. It seems we had struck a nerve. People agreed that heirloom beans were worth saving, growing and cooking. Currently our warehouse, a retail shop, and offices are in Napa, California, and a stop here is part of many tours of the wine country.
All of my agricultural pursuits have been based on being someone who likes to cook but gets frustrated by the lack of ingredients, especially those that are native to the Americas. One of the things that originally drew me to beans was the fact that they are indigenous to the Americas. It seems to me these indigenous ingredients should be familiar, if not common. American cuisine is re-inventing itself and I'd love to include ingredients, traditions and recipes from north and south of the border as part of the equation. I love the concept of The Americas. I feel as if it's just as important as the European heritage many of us share.
You can read more about the Rancho Gordo story here.