Baer's Best Beans

Appaloosa is a gorgeous heirloom bean from Vermont with mottled purple-white markings resembling the markings on an Appaloosa horse. It is similar in shape to a traditional kidney bean, but is much smaller, more slender and delicate. When cooked the bean holds its shape nicely. Its rich flavor and firm texture make it versatile and a wonderful addition to chili, stews and casseroles.

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A beautiful large maroon kidney with light yellow stripes, this heirloom was maintained for many years by the family of Walt Staples in Eliot, Maine. 

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An extra-large and savory heirloom black bean with subtle smoky flavor and creamy texture. Black Coco cook up several times the size of the standard black turtle bean making them a satisfyingly substantial addition to any dish. We especially enjoy them in our burritos or as a rice and bean side. 

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Black beans are popular for their slightly sweet earthy flavor and rich texture. Their dark skin is also loaded with more antioxidants than any other bean. They make an excellent base in a veggie burger, and their firm texture holds up well in classics like black bean soup, and black bean stew. 

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Black beans are popular for their slightly sweet earthy flavor and rich texture. Also their dark skin provides the highest antioxidants of all beans. They make an excellent base in a veggie burger, and their firm texture holds up to reheating and stir-fries. Try these in vegetarian chili or as frijoles refritos in burritos. Excellent seasoned with cumin, oregano, and chilis! Grown by us, organic certified by MOFGA.

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Colorful large kidney shaped bean, beige with red stripes.   Originally sourced from Rob Johnston, founder of Johnny's Selected Seeds many years ago.   According to him, it was called Andrew Kent, and was originally grown on the island of Vinalhaven in Maine.  Looks like the Boston Beautiful bean pictured in the 1929 book Beans of New York.  While it is beautiful, we call it cranberry to be more descriptive.  We likely are the only producers of this rare heirloom bean.

 One of our rarest heirlooms, Bumblebee came from a farm family near Bangor, Maine and gets its name from its unusually large size (like a big round bumblebee) and its eye which is shaped like a bee in flight. Bumblebee has a richer flavor than other white beans, and cooks up creamy making it great for soups and casseroles. Not traditional, but it's a favorite of ours for refried beans. We also recommend it as a replacement for Gigante-type beans (which don't grow well here) in Mediterranean dishes.

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Cannellini beans have a delicate flavor and silky smooth texture. Mild, nutty, and versatile, they pair well with both subtle and bold flavors. Try in a salad, mashed with garlic and olive oil, or as the backbone of a hearty vegetable stew. It's hard to go wrong! This bean was originally cultivated in Argentina before being brought to Italy where it has become an important part of the cuisine. There it is one of the beans of choice for dishes like minestrone and pasta e fagioli.

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Cannellini beans have a delicate flavor and silky textured flesh. They retain their shape and texture well, so they're perfect to use in salads, soups, stews, and chili. Cannellini are a gourmet white bean also be referred to as White Kidney Beans. This bean was originally cultivated in Argentina by Italian immigrants and was later taken back to Italy where it has become an important part of Italian cuisine used in dishes like minestrone and pasta e fagioli. Grown by us, organic certified by MOFGA.

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Flageolet are a small green French gourmet bean. The flageolets we grow are a customer favorite because they are so special and can be difficult to find in good quality. Our small-scale production allows us to harvest them at the right time to maintain their elegant pale green color, and ideal flavor, something Charley takes particular pride in. Flageolet is a traditional bean for many French dishes. They also make an elegant side, and are often seasoned simply, with a few sprigs of fresh herbs.

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Flageolet are a small, green French gourmet bean and a traditional bean for many French dishes. They also make an elegant side, and are often seasoned simply, with a few sprigs of fresh herbs.

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A popular white bean commonly grown in midwestern and plains states, Great Northern are larger and flatter than Navy beans and hold their shape a bit better when cooked. They have a mild nutty flavor and starchy texture, somewhat like a kidney bean. They're most commonly used in hearty dishes like stews, soups and baked beans.

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Italian cranberry, also known as Borlotti beans, are large and tan with maroon 

stripes and specks. They have a relatively robust skin so hold their shape well when cooked while the centers become tender. This makes them perfect for their classic uses in Pasta e Fagioli and Cranberry bean soup. They also make a nice cold or warm bean salad.

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Jacob's Cattle are a New England heirloom, and maybe the most well known one, dating back long before the colonial era. White with beautiful magenta spots, they are kidney shaped, but more plump. They are a classic choice for New England baked beans from the days before New England varieties were abandoned for uniform fields of Navy beans grown for the canning industry.

There are conflicting stories regarding the origin of this bean, but many attribute its cultivation to the Passamaquoddy tribe. One story claims they were a gift from Maine's Passamaquoddy Indians to the family of Joseph Clark when he was born in Lubec, Maine.

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Jacob’s Cattle are a New England heirloom, and maybe the most well known one, dating back long before the colonial era. White with beautiful magenta spots, they are kidney shaped, but more plump. They are a classic choice for New England baked beans from the days before New England varieties were abandoned for uniform fields of Navy beans grown for the canning industry.

There are conflicting stories regarding the origin of this bean, but many attribute its cultivation to the Passamaquoddy tribe. One story claims they were a gift from Maine's Passamaquoddy Indians to the family of Joseph Clark when he was born in Lubec, Maine.

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King of the Early is a hearty bean with a robust flavor, an excellent way to warm up on a cold New England winter day. Large and red, with beige stripes, this old variety came to us from a farmer in Knox, ME. It holds up well to longer cooking, and is ideal for chili, as well as hearty soups and stews. The name was used to advertise its very early ripening  and dependability when it first appeared in seed catalogs over a hundred years ago.

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This tried and true staple needs no introduction. Its smooth but firm texture holds up well to long cooking, making it popular for a wide variety of bean dishes around the world. It's a classic for chilis and bean stews.

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This tried and true staple needs no introduction. Its smooth but firm texture holds up well to long cooking, making it popular for a wide variety of bean dishes around the world. It's a classic for chilis and bean stews. Grown by us, organic certified by MOFGA.

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Marfax is a small, but mighty, golden brown bean that hails from the downeast region of Maine. Almost perfectly round, they hold their shape very well when cooked, and have a very rich nutty flavor with a hint of molasses. The baking bean of choice in downeast Maine they were a local specialty for many years, although they're quickly gaining fans further and further from home. Supposedly a favorite of logging camp cooks in centuries past, they were cooked in an aptly named "bean hole." Developed by Native Americans, this old technique involves burying a pot of beans in a rock lined pit filled with coals to cook overnight.

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Beautiful kidney shaped bean, maroon with speckles of white and streaks of gold.  Rare variety of unknown origin.   We located a small amount of seed years ago, and after successive plantings we now have a limited amount available for sale.   AVAILABLE LATE DECEMBER

Primarily used for making bean sprouts in this country but often cooked as a regular bean in India where it originated, as well as other parts of Southeast Asia where it is widely grown. Commercially grown.

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Navy beans are small, white, oval beans, and one of the most popular commercial bean types. Commonly found in canned baked beans, the stalwart navy bean does equally well in soups, stews and home-cooked baked beans. Because they are so tender and creamy when cooked, we mash them against the side of the pot to thicken soups. Like most beans, the origins of the variety predated the arrival of Europeans to the Americas, but the name is fairly modern stemming from its use as a food staple by the U.S. Navy in the early 1900s. Some of our favorite uses include a simple navy bean soup and Cajun-style white beans and rice.

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These  Otebo beans are small white beans that resemble a slightly plump navy bean. A special bean type grown mainly for export to Japan, they've been bred for an exceptionally fine texture and mild sweet flavor. Traditionally used to make a sweet bean paste for Japanese desserts, they may also be used in any recipe that calls for navy beans. Their incredibly thin skin and small size makes them one of the fastest cooking beans. 

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Peregion are an heirloom variety from the Pacific Northwest beloved for their flavor, and beautiful tan and black striped pattern. They are small, resembling black beans except that half the beans are solid black while the other half are cream with black stripes and the two variations appear together on the same plant. Their patterns are still visible after cooking making a very attractive dish. Their flavor is similar to black beans but a little milder and creamier. Great as a base for bean burgers, and especially beautiful in a bean salad. Grown by us.

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The most widely grown and widely consumed bean in the country, Pinto needs little introduction. A mild earthy flavor, and somewhat dry but smooth texture, this high yielding and versatile bean can be used in a huge variety of dishes. One of its most popular uses, refried beans, remains our favorite.

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Scarlet Beauty are a beautiful kidney shaped bean that are perhaps the reddest of all red beans. They have an excellent rich earthy flavor that really shines in chili or red beans and rice. One of our personal favorites, this bean was developed by the prolific plant breeder Elwyn Meader of New Hampshire and released to the public in 1953.  

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Along with Jacob's Cattle and Yellow Eye, Soldier beans are one of the traditional baking beans of New England. They are white plump kidney shaped beans with maroon eyes. Soldier's mild flavor is a good canvas for strongly flavored dishes. They work well for baked beans, as well as chili. Also a good stand-in for many white beans. The variety was named for its eye which resembles a soldier standing at attention and has been grown in New England since the 1800s.

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Not an especially attractive name, these small, pale yellow beans are named for their color, and are another one of our rarest heirlooms. A favorite of Charley's, they are a tricky bean to grow, often low yielding, and very fussy about harvest conditions. Their incomparable creaminess and delicate flavor, reminiscent of fresh shell beans, makes all the trouble worth it (most years). They cook very quickly, and are best enjoyed with simple seasonings. Charley's seed stock originally came from Brewer, Maine.

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Swedish are oval, medium sized, golden brown beans with thin skin. They are hearty beans with creamy centers and a nutty flavor with a hint of molasses. Rich and satisfying in a soup, as a side or paired with a roast. This rare traditional variety is popular in Sweden, and still grown on the island of Oland where it has been grown for hundreds of years.

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This old timer hails from the northeast kingdom of Vermont and is mentioned as early as the 1800s. A truly beautiful bean, they are magenta with dark violet stripes. Their full flavor is equal parts sweet and earthy, making it one of the most popular heirlooms we grow, year in and year out. We think Vermont Cranberry are one of the best all-purpose beans.

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White with a speckled yellow "eye," the classic Maine-type Yellow Eye has a rich, very savory flavor and is exceptionally rich for a white bean. Traditionally used for baked beans they are also a good all-purpose bean making excellent soup, salads and side dishes.  The Yellow Eye is another one of our most popular heirlooms, and is a favorite for traditional baked beans. They were originally cultivated by Indigenous people of the region, and are still used for the traditional dish Hulled Corn Soup.

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White with a speckled yellow "eye," the classic Maine-type Yellow Eye has a rich, very savory flavor and is exceptionally rich for a white bean. Traditionally used for baked beans they are also a good all-purpose bean making excellent soup, salads and side dishes.  The Yellow Eye is another one of our most popular heirlooms, and is a favorite for traditional baked beans. They were originally cultivated by Indigenous people of the region, and are still used for the traditional dish Hulled Corn Soup.

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Our chili bean mix is made up of Soldier, Jacob’s Cattle, and Light Red Kidney beans. These three variety are for ideal for hearty chili because they stand up to long cooking and robust flavors. They will hold their shape and have soft creamy centers when cooked. Jacob's Cattle and Soldier will also keep some of their unique pattern when cooked. Our Chili Mix can also be used to add a little heirloom flair in any recipe calling for kidney beans!

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One of our most popular items is our Heirloom Bean Soup, a mix of varieties selected to add color, texture and flavor to a bean soup. Once cooked some beans will stay intact while others will become creamy to thicken and flavor the broth. The mix varies seasonally but typically includes 10-20 varieties of beans. Our bean soup mix can also be used to make a side or casserole.

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