Edible Mexican Garden. Rosalind Creasy
much water causes the plants to produce foliage rather than pods. Teparies have low resistance to bean mosaic virus, which may be transferred by seed; therefore, I recommend purchasing virus-free seed only.
Scarlet runner beans
threshing dry beans in a bag.
Teparies are usually harvested for dry beans. Harvest the pods as they dry or harvest the whole plant once the pods are brown.
Harvesting Dry Beans: In rainy climates, drape plants over a crude drying frame or store them inside. In dry climates, let the pods dry completely in the garden and harvest the whole plant. Once the bean pods are completely dry, the seeds must be separated from the pods. For a small batch, shell the beans out by hand. For larger harvests, cut a 6-inch hole in the bottom corner of a burlap bag and tie it closed with a string. Put the plants in the bag and hang the bag on a branch or shed door; beat on it with a stick to loosen the beans from the pods. When most of the beans are free, hold a pan under the hole, untie the string, and empty the beans into the pan. Take out the chaff and repeat the process.
Clean the beans from the chaff. When the beans are completely dry, store them in a cool, dry place in containers that will keep bugs out. To prevent weevils, first put the containers in the freezer for 24 hours to kill the eggs.
Seed saving: Most beans are self-pollinating, so cross-pollination is usually not a problem. However, it is possible for insects to cause cross-pollination. To guard against crossing, separate varieties by 10 yards or put cages or cloth bags over the flowers. Runner beans are insect pollinated and therefore more likely to cross-pollinate. Harvest bean pods when they are dry, remove the seed, and continue to dry by laying the seed on a screen in a warm, dry room for a few weeks, stirring them every few days, When they are thoroughly dry, pack the seed in mason jars, label them, and freeze them for 24 hours to kill any weevils. Store in a cool, dry, dark place.
Varieties
Snap Beans
‘Blue Lake’: 62 days; pole; to 8 feet, productive; sweet, classic beany-flavored green pods; bush variety also available
‘Kentucky Wonder’ (‘Old Homestead’): 68 days; pole; long, meaty pods popular since the mid-1800s and still great; plants are rust resistant; bush variety also available
Dry Beans
Hundreds of dry-bean varieties are grown in Mexico; here are but a few of the most popular.
‘Black Mexican’ (‘Frijol Negro’): bush; small, black bean, most associated with southern Mexico
‘Frijol Rojo’ (‘Red Mexican Chili’): semivining; popular in Mexico; grows to 4 feet; pods ripen after the plants drop leaves; resistant to bean beetles; most closely associated with central Mexico; available from Redwood City Seed Company
‘Pinto’: 90 days; can be grown as a pole bean; dry beans; most associated with northeastern Mexico and southwestern United States
‘Peruano’: a yellow, fairly small dry bean; bush bean popular in northwestern Mexico; available from Mexican grocery stores
Virus-Free White Tepary: small, white, virus-free tepary beans selected; available from Native Seeds/SEARCH
Virus-Free Yellow Tepary: ochre-colored, virus-free tepary beans; available from Native Seeds/SEARCH
Fava Beans
‘Windsor’: 80 days; bush; grows to 5 feet with green pods to 10 inches; large, light green beans
Runner Beans
‘Aztec Scarlet Runner’: 55 days; richly flavored pods; scarlet flowers; available from Plants of the Southwest
How to prepare: In Mexico, fresh snap beans are cooked with chiles, onions, garlic, and oil, or used in pork and egg dishes and in soups. Dry, however, is the favorite way Mexicans enjoy beans; dry beans are eaten nearly every day in a classic bean soup (see recipe for Frijoles de Olla on page 62) or in stews, tostadas, burritos (see recipe, page 84), and, of course, as creamy refried beans (see recipe, page 63). They can be stuffed into chiles or used as a filling for Mexican sandwiches (tortas). Runner beans are used in soups and in tamales.
Fava beans are used dry or fresh and are delicious combined with garlic, chiles, or both. Young fava beans have a special sweetness. Once these tasty beans are fully mature, they are shelled and then the bean skins must be peeled before preparation. Try them fresh or dried in a classic Mexican sauce with roasted tomatoes, onions, and garlic (see recipe, page 70).
Caution: Some males of Mediterranean descent are allergic to favas and should be wary when trying them for the first time. Persons taking antidepressants with monoamine inhibitors should avoid them at all costs.
Beans, shown clockwise, from upper-left corner: pinto, giant pinto, scarlet runner, and Peruano
CHARD, SWISS
(ACELGA)
Beta vulgaris var. flavescens
CHARD IS A GREEN introduced into Mexico by the Spanish.
How to grow: Swiss chard tolerates a lot more heat than most greens, though it suffers in extreme heat, and is moderately hardy. Start it in early spring or late summer for mild-winter areas. Plant chard seeds ½ inch deep, 6 inches apart, and thin to 1 foot. Plant in full sun and neutral soil with lots of added organic matter. For tender, succulent leaves, keep plants well watered. Mulch with a few inches of organic matter. When plants are about 0 weeks old, fertilize with ½ cup balanced organic fertilizer for every 5 feet of row. A few pests and diseases bother chard, mainly slugs and snails (especially when the plants are young), and leaf miner, a fly larva.
To harvest chard, remove the outside leaves at the base; tender new leaves keep coming throughout the season.
Varieties
‘Fordhook Giant’: 60 days, a classic green chard with white ribs, fairly cold hardy
How to prepare: For centuries, the Mexican people harvested wild greens (quelites). Since their introduction by the Spanish, Swiss chard and, occasionally, spinach are often cooked in the same way as the quelites—namely, sautéed, steamed, or boiled until just done, and sliced or chopped. The greens are then added to seasoned sauces or vegetables—for example, a mixture of cooked onions, chiles, garlic, and other seasonings, like tomatoes and tomatillos. Alternately, the aromatic vegetables are pureed to make a sauce and the cooked greens—in this case, chard—added. This dish is served with tortillas. Chard can be added to green rice or to egg scrambles or combined with roasted poblanos and Mexican crema or new potatoes and tomatoes.
'Fordhook Giant’ chard
CHAYOTE
(CHAYOTE)
Sechium edule
CHAYOTES ARE NATIVE TO tropical America. This green, pear-shaped vegetable is versatile, absorbs seasonings well, and is much appreciated in Mexico. There, chayotes are creamy white or dark green and either thorny or smooth, while the chayotes we usually see in U.S. markets are medium green and smooth. As with summer squash, some varieties are delicately sweet and somewhat watery while others resemble potatoes in their starchiness.
How to grow: Chayotes are huge vines, 10 to 20 feet long, and are tender perennials that thrive only where winters are nearly frost free. Chayotes produce more fruit when more than one plant is present for cross-pollination.
To start your plants, buy three or so fruits at a produce market in late spring. (You