Tepary Bean growth stages

Golden brown trout beans, excellent for the “Frijoles Cucupa” dish. The Cucupa people live along the lower Colorado River, and the original seed was obtained from a woman farmer in Sonora, Mexico. An annual plant that was first cultivated in the Southwest by the Hohokam Indians, and is particularly adapted to low desert conditions. In the past it was a very important part of the local diet, and it is very nutritious. Adapted to low desert heat, drought and alkaline soil. Plant 1/2 inch deep and 4 inches apart. In the desert, plant with summer rains, otherwise water if the plants start to look stressed. Overwatered plants will produce many runners, but few bean pods. A self-pollinating annual, seeds can be saved for next year by removing pods as they dry.

About Beans…

Dried beans are the workhorses of our pantries. They are high in protein, low in fat, low in cholesterol, and high in complex carbohydrates (the “good” carbs), too. With so many people switching to plant-based diets, beans are playing a bigger and more important role.

How wonderful, then, that we found Mike and Chris Reeske, small farmers dedicated to preserving old varieties of heritage beans that Mike collected from around the world. I was surprised by the beans Mike and Chris grow, harvest, clean, and pack (with some help of course) on their seven acres on the Valley Center, California farm they call Rio del Rey.

Pest and Disease Prevention

Mottled, black-spotted Mexican bean beetles often lay clusters of yellow eggs on the leaves of P. vulgaris beans, where the eggs hatch into yellow larvae. raspberry tissue from leaves. Hand-pick this pest in all life stages, and try spraying neem on the insects and the leaves they are eating to control light infestations. In large plantings larger than a quarter acre, try releasing beneficial Pedobius wasps. Mexican bean beetles do not bother cows and are only slightly fond of limas.

Sometimes fell worms feeding at night on bean seedlings by separating them from the soil. Diatomaceous earth (DE) sprinkled over the soil surface can help reduce losses.

Description of the Plant

Bean Tepary is a climbing, trailing or more or less erect, annual bushy herbaceous plant with stems up to 4 m (13 feet) long. The plant is found growing along stream beds, washed dry in pine-oak forest, scattered among small bushes and cacti. Light, well-drained soils are best; reasonable yields can be obtained on poor sandy soils with a pH of 5-7. Mrs. Tepary does not tolerate waterlogging, and heavy clays are unsuitable. It is moderately tolerant of saline and alkaline soils. The stems are usually trailing or climbing, but can sometimes grow tall, unsupported. Stems and leaves are generally hairless, but may have a fine covering of very short hairs.

The alternate leaves are divided into three leaflets; one terminal, and an opposite pair directly below. Petiole is 2-10 cm long and stipels are linear, up to 2 mm long. The leaflets are oval to ovate-lanceolate, 4-8 cm long and 2-5 cm wide, acute and usually pubescent below. They are widest below the middle; roughly lanceolate, with a smooth, shiny surface and crossed by several prominent veins.