CALIFORNIA
Field Crops A SPECIAL GROWERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ®
Retired science teacher Mike Reeske, above left, and his wife Chris grow more than a dozen varieties of heirloom beans at their San Diego County farm. They partner with restaurateur Carlo Guardado, right, who uses the beans in his culinary creations.
Heirloom bean revival inspires science teacher, chef By Linda DuBois
All modern-day dried common beans—including black beans, kidney beans and pinto beans—were first cultivated in Mexico more than 10,000 years ago, when they were do- mesticated from wild plants, Reeske explained. Planted today, beans perfected by indigenous people have the same distinct flavors that developed in each variety’s unique growing conditions, he said. In contrast, the bean varieties familiar to most Americans have been bred for mass production and to create a uniform product. Drawing on his science background, Reeske is working with University of California re- searchers to learn what bean varieties are naturally resistant to pests and diseases and what will grow best in the local soils. He is also working on a program to restore the cultivation of certain tribal heirloom beans that are an important part of ceremonies and traditions. As an heirloom bean advocate, Reeske is trying to convince more small farmers to try growing them. Even though they aren’t a big moneymaker, heirloom beans add nitrogen to the soil, giving farmers “free fertilizer,” he said. Reeske also partners with restaurants and chefs in delivering heirloom varieties for their culinary creations. Carlo Guardado, who has owned and cooked in restaurants for about 17 years, contracted
After seeing an article about heirloom beans, Mike Reeske and his wife, Chris, decided to put in a few plants on their 2½-acre property in the San Diego County community of Valley Center. “I couldn’t believe how tasty they were,” he said of their first crop. Influenced by his parents, who were citrus farmers and restaurant owners, Reeske turned to farming after he retired from a long career as a high school science teacher in 2008. A researcher and organic chemist, he had co-authored books and developed edu- cational materials dealing with science and sustainability, and created programs to teach youths and adults about their local environments. Knowing that few farmers cultivate heirloom beans, the Reeskes saw a void and offi- cially launched their Rio Del Rey farm in 2013. They now grow 10 to 15 different varieties on 7 acres. Since their modest beginnings as heirloom bean farmers, Mike Reeske has become an afficionado of the science and history of the legumes as a practical and reliable food source. “There’s a lot of variation in beans, and they’re so highly adaptable that they can grow in many different parts of the world,” Reeske said. “I’ve collected beans off the Black Sea in Northern Turkey, with origins from Chile 200 years before that.”
See BEANS, Page 11
10 Ag Alert May 1, 2024
Powered by FlippingBook