California Beans and Festivals
Pictured is Jack Escobar, a bean farmer and college grad with a degree in Philosophy from Arizona State. He tends the crops with his dad in Crows Landing, Calif.
When Tracy Dry Bean Festival (in existence for more than 25 years) shut down and was replaced with Taste of the Valley Art and Food, beans didn’t get a fair shake, we don’t believe. However, chili cookoffs are actually bean festivals and there are dozens of these popular events. Here are some…>
Dry beans used in chili don’t even rank among California’s top 20 farm crop commodities, but their rich 100 year history is often overlooked. They are and have been the mainstay for the majority of the state’s population–both vegetarians and low income. One of the cheapest foods to buy, beans are also nutritious. They are high in starch, protein, and dietary fiber, they have no cholesterol, and they are an excellent source of iron, potassium, selenium, molybdenum, thiamine, vitamin B6, and folic acid. Canadian chefs recently took on the challenge to live on $1.75 / day and we able to do so by integrating beans into menus and meals. Here’s more info about beans…>
California grows these bean varieties:
