Soldier beans get their name from the shape of the marking near the eye of the bean. It looks like a soldier.
Store in dry storage, in a plastic bag or glass jar.
These are a New England Heirloom variety that is the mainstay of baked bean dinners. These are also fresh dry beans so you have to soak them for less time that the store bought ones.
This bean is full-flavored, holds its shape under long cooking, and stands up well to plenty of seasoning. The bean has a rich aroma. This is considered one of the best kidney style beans for cooking. After cooking, the patterns fade but are still distinct.
**Please pick over these beans before cooking as they have been mechanically harvested and the occasional pebble may have jumped in the mix.**
These beans are grown by Morningstar Meadow farms in Glover, Vermont. Seth specializes in growing dry beans for us and does an excellent job on his hill farm. He learned much of what he knows from Jack Lazor at Butterworks Farm. Mentoring is a rich tradition up here in Vermont.
Certified Organic
The best way to cook beans provided by Tamar Adler via Samin Nosrat blog: http://ciaosamin.blogspot.com/2015/01/tamar-adler-on-beans.html
I've bought and used these several times, and even given some as a gift to a vegetarian friend who had only tried canned beans in his cooking. Using a smaller (2 quart) slow cooker or Crock Pot makes cooking dried beans super easy and convenient. As far as taste and the cooking process goes, I'd say these beans are mild-flavored and cook about the same as other "fresh dried" beans I've tried. What makes these a real winner at my house is the appeal of the little "soldier" shape on each bean. Kids who don't want to eat beans might be willing to do so if they can find the soldier on each one.
YUM. We had these sitting in the pantry for well over a month until I got around to cooking them, but I finally pulled them out and used a recipe Greg volunteered. It used not even half of the bag of beans, and made a big delicious soup (7-8 cups worth, I think), with just a few basic ingredients. YUM.
