In Love with Cranberry Beans

By Lori Powell

This past weekend, I went upstate to visit with friends and neighbors that I hadn’t seen in a while. But truly, the other real draw was to visit the farmers’ market two miles up the road from my house in uptown Kingston, New York.

Much devastation was brought upon the farmers in that area. All the flooding and high winds destroyed crops to the point that they were completely washed out and their wares were found tumbling over the falls in High Falls, New York.

At first glance, friends of mine wondered why basketballs were streaming over the falls, only to realize upon a closer look, that they were actually pumpkins. Apparently the pumpkins were not alone in their whitewater adventure since other valuable produce, such as potatoes, zucchini and anything else that was washed out, joined in the adventure.

What a loss to so many people, both on the growing and consuming side of food! I imagine by next spring all of these phantom crops will be springing up alongside the water’s edge where they finally washed up. It’s a lot like what’s going on in my garden. When I rented my house in Pennsylvania this past winter, the garden held the carcasses of rotting pumpkins. And “voila!” this year those seeds are now turning into pumpkins of several varieties and they have taken over my garden.

While at the farmers’ market this past weekend, I found myself besotted with fresh cranberry beans and how gorgeous they are... I was speechless. Cranberry beans are also called shell beans (New England) or borlotti (Italy). The pod is equally as stunning as the bean inside, continuing the same pattern of ruby-red stripes against a cream color background. It truly is one of nature’s finest creations.

Cranberry beans are super-easy to shuck (very Zen-like), quick to cook (no need to soak as you do dried beans), high in fiber, low in calories and easy to buy just a small amount when cooking for one. The downside is, once cooked, they do not keep their color.

However I feel that the transforming hue is lovely in its own way – somewhat of a lavender blush (some say brown) as you can see in my picture. Their flavor is somewhat creamy, nutty and chestnut like.

Rules of thumb:

• Salt after they are fully cooked because salt can toughen beans while cooking.
• 1 pound beans in the pod (unshucked) equals about 1 1/3 cups shucked beans, which can serve about two to three people.
• A great pastime is to shuck beans while catching up with friends or watching a movie. But do not be so distracted as to not appreciate each lovely little bean’s pattern and color as it is plucked from its pod.
• Beans pair well with most herbs, garlic, peppers and extra virgin olive oil, so change up the combination each time you cook.
• Also add beans to salads, soups or chili for an extra flavorful punch full of fiber and good eats.

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Simply Cooked Cranberry Beans
Serves 2 to 3 as a side

1 pound fresh cranberry beans in the pod, shucked
1 bay leaf
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons good-quality extra virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine beans in a saucepan with bay leaf, garlic and rosemary; cover with 2 inches cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until beans are tender but not falling apart.

Drain beans well and discard rosemary. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium skillet over moderate heat until hot. Add beans and hot pepper flakes and cook until heated through.

Transfer beans to a serving bowl and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Season beans with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove bay leaf before serving.

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