Produce Briefs...
Garlic Flowers
Garlic flowers are essentially the flowering seeds of a garlic plant. They emerge at the tip of the garlic's above-ground stem. The seeds appear once the garlic has reached maturity or if the plant begins to bolt early
Wasabi
Wasabi is a perennial and a member of the Cruciferae family. It is grown mainly for its underground rhizome (tuber) which produces branch-less, edible leaves above ground. A mature wasabi root is firm, cylindrical, brown and green-skinned and tapered.
Grower
Tongue of Fire Shelling beans are available in summer. Look for Tongue of Fire shelling beans at your local farmers market.
Resembling Cranberry Shelling beans, Tongue of Fire Shelling beans have large, pale green pods with vibrant red streaks. Once shelled, the beans themselves are also strikingly colored, red speckled on a cream background. The color fades in the cooking process. Tongue of Fire Shelling beans are large with a nutty, somewhat sweet flavor, with a creamy and substantial texture.
Heirloom shelling beans' flavors are more bold and require less manipulation than that of a dry non-heirloom bean. Fresh shelling beans require a shorter cooking time than dried beans, typically 30-45 minutes. Tongue of Fire beans may be braised, pureed into soups, chilled and tossed with fresh tomatoes and herbs in a summer salad, or topped with toasted bread crumbs in a gratin.
Farmers, specifically organic farmers, often grow beans in open, and otherwise empty, fields to keep the nitrogen in the soil from leaching out. The entire crop is then turned into the soil at the end of the season, treating the beans as green manure for healthy soil development and revitalization.
The Tongue of Fire Shelling bean is an Italian heirloom shelling bean (Borlotto Lingua di Fuoco) originally collected from Tierra del Fuego on the tip of South America.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Tongue of Fire Shelling Beans. One
is easiest, three is harder.
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Seasons/Availability
Tongue of Fire Shelling beans are available in summer. Look for Tongue of Fire shelling beans at your local farmers market.
Description/Taste
Resembling Cranberry Shelling beans, Tongue of Fire Shelling beans have large, pale green pods with vibrant red streaks. Once shelled, the beans themselves are also strikingly colored, red speckled on a cream background. The color fades in the cooking process. Tongue of Fire Shelling beans are large with a nutty, somewhat sweet flavor, with a creamy and substantial texture.
Applications
Heirloom shelling beans' flavors are more bold and require less manipulation than that of a dry non-heirloom bean. Fresh shelling beans require a shorter cooking time than dried beans, typically 30-45 minutes. Tongue of Fire beans may be braised, pureed into soups, chilled and tossed with fresh tomatoes and herbs in a summer salad, or topped with toasted bread crumbs in a gratin.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
Farmers, specifically organic farmers, often grow beans in open, and otherwise empty, fields to keep the nitrogen in the soil from leaching out. The entire crop is then turned into the soil at the end of the season, treating the beans as green manure for healthy soil development and revitalization.
Geography/History
The Tongue of Fire Shelling bean is an Italian heirloom shelling bean (Borlotto Lingua di Fuoco) originally collected from Tierra del Fuego on the tip of South America.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Tongue of Fire Shelling Beans. One
is easiest, three is harder.
