Above left, dried beans are ready for harvest after the pod turns from green to yellow to brown. Above, Enrique and Tino Muñoz harvest beans at Rio Del Rey farm. Above right and far right, Enrique Muñoz puts the beans into a thresher that separates the beans from the pods. At immediate right, Tino Muñoz puts beans into a machine that rids them of stems and rocks.
These include two lima-type beans, about seven common beans (pinto type) and five high-protein tepary beans. “Tepary beans grow from one rainfall in the desert in poor soil and high temperatures,” Reeske says, adding these legumes show promise as a sustainable protein source in a hotter, drier climate. The Reeskes also developed a new variety of common bean, Anazape. About five years ago, out of 800 pounds of their Anasazi beans, they discovered about 25 unusual-looking seeds. Even though it’s rare for beans to cross-pollinate, the Reeskes surmised from the beans’ appearance that bees had brought pollen from their nearby field of Rio Zapes and created a hybrid. They planted the seeds and got identical beans the next year and have been growing them ever since. “We did a tasting with 15 of some of the top chefs in San Diego County, and 13 out of 15 voted that bean No. 1,” Reeske says.
Post-retirement mission It wasn’t until he retired from a long career as a high school science teacher in 2008 that Reeske turned his attention to farming. He brings to it varied experiences and influences. A researcher and organic chemist, he’s co-authored books and developed educational materials dealing with science and sustainability and created programs to teach youths and adults about their local environments. He also was influenced by his parents, who were orange farmers and restaurant owners. An article about heirloom beans inspired Reeske and his wife, Chris, to put in a few plants on their 2 1/2-acre property. “I couldn’t believe how tasty they were,” he says of their first crop. So, the next year, they planted even more. Knowing that few farmers cultivate heirloom beans, they saw a void and officially launched Rio Del Rey in 2013. They now grow from 10 to 15 different varieties per year on 7 acres.
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