How You Bean: The Chronicles and History of Pinto Beans

How Pinto Beans are Grown

Phaseolus vulgaris, also known as common/domesticated beans, includes varieties such as black beans, kidney beans, and green beans, as well as varieties we are interested in — pinto beans. Author Rakesh Ranjan exclaims pinto beans account for 42 percent of dry bean production in the United States displaying the vast fabrication this bean variety makes up (Ranjan, 2019, p.502). Nowadays, all major continental areas grow common beans considerably from the United States, Europe, and South America. Various cultivation methods for bean production include sole crops, relay intercropping, row intercropping, mixed intercropping of maize, and intercropping with other cereals (Graham, 1997). You might be asking, “what does this even refer to?” Well, intercropping refers to the process of proliferating a crop, in this case, pinto beans, along with slide different crops, most commonly corn. Sole Crop of bush means growing the crop as is, without the assistance of another crop. Relay intercropping of bush refers to the process of a crop’s, pinto beans, lifecycle overlapping with that of another, thus growing in conjunction with each other. The rest of the cropping systems are self-explanatory with the definitions provided. Within predominant countries, such as the US or Europe, the growth of pinto beans has been eminently commercialized and is aided with the assistance of automation, fertilizer, and pesticide (Graham, 1997, p.134). Pinto beans are typically grown through intercropping with corn, as it can contribute to weed management and diminish the circulation of various diseases.

The intercropping between beans and corn. (Welthungerhilfe, 2020)

Is this sustainable?

Industrialized farming can threaten our terrain and environment in various ways, such as the employment of harmful chemicals and fertilizers causing an increase in air pollution and the deterioration of water and soil soundness (Fung, 2019). The practice of intercropping improves these issues considerably, such as economic growth from the better air quality, improving land quality with the reduction of fertilizer usage, and additional food with both corn and beans being yielded rather than the single crop of beans saving land and money. When it comes to air pollution, industrial farming uses copious amounts of machinery to get the job done. These tractors, ATVs, UTVs, and harvesters all leave a large impact on the carbon emissions and fossil fuel usage attributed to them.

a memoir on Pinto Beans

Pinto beans have an interesting production cycle, but where did they originate from. Pinto beans emerged 7000 years ago within the so-called “new world” with the North and South American Continents and are capable of being traced to 1300 AD. Câmara describes that these can be located in Mesoamerica and regions alongside the Andes Mountain range (Câmara, 2013). Interestingly, pinto beans are a member of a trio known as the three sisters, and this trifecta is made up of corn, squash, and, of course, beans. This group of crops is significant to the Native Americans as they flourished extraordinarily well collectively. They support one another as the stalks provide support for climbing bean vines as they search for sunlight from the soil. The beans, in turn, replenish the soil with nitrogen, nourishing the corn and squash, while the squash’s wide, spiny leaves protect the bean plants from dangerous animals (Murphy, 2018). Receding to the anecdotes, an Iroquois tale is what inspired the moniker “The Three Sisters.” Corn, beans, and squash are said to be inseparable sisters who were given to the people by the “Great Spirit.” (Mark, 2016).

The Three Sister crops (American Farm Bureau, 2016)

Charro Beans Recipe

I came from a Mexican household and regularly ate Charro Beans. Although I never made the dish myself, charro beans have quite a simple recipe. Because I don’t know how to cook, I read an article posted by Mely Martinez, a gastronome from Tampico, Tamaulipas, in Mexico. This is what her article has to declare about Charro Beans.

Notes –

To prepare your beans for your recipe, place 2 cups of dried beans, ¼ of a white onion, 2 peeled garlic cloves, and 8 cups of water in a large pan. Cook around 2 hours or until the beans feel tender. Martinez states that she usually uses a pressure cooker, and they would be done in around 30 mins.

Ingredients –

6 cups of pinto beans already cooked with their soup
- (The author uses kidney beans, but my family always preferred pinto beans)
¼ of chopped onion
2 cloves of chopped garlic
An image of Charro Beans (Bon appetit)
3 ½ oz of chorizo (I prefer to omit this because I don’t particularly enjoy chorizo)
3 ½ of chopped bacon
2 large, chopped tomatoes
2 chopped serrano peppers
1 cup of chopped cilantro

Optional:

3 ½ oz of chopped, cooked ham
- 1 cup of pork grinds, chopped sausages
Salt to taste

Instructions –

Place the beans along with their soup in a large pot and set aside.
Fry your bacon in a skillet over medium heat for about 10 minutes, The author usually mixes all the meats, if you have them, such as ham, sausages, and chorizo at this step as well.
After 5 minutes add the flavoring agents such as the onions, garlic, and chilies and cook for 2 additional minutes.
Add the chopped tomato and cook, stirring occasionally for 8 more minutes.
Once the tomatoes incorporate their flavor, mix everything with the beans. And the ham and pork rinds or sausages at this time too. And cook over low heat for about 15 minutes to incorporate all the flavors. Add water if necessary. The consistency of the soup broth should not be thick
Add salt and adjust to taste and add the cilantro before serving.

References

Acerca de – RECETAS DE comida MEXICANA: México en mi Cocina. Recetas de comida mexicana | México en mi Cocina. (2019, January 24). Retrieved September 20, 2021, from https://www.mexicoenmicocina.com/acerca-de.

Câmara, C., Urrea, C., & Schlegel, V. (2013). Pinto beans (phaseolus vulgaris L.) as a functional food: Implications on human health. Agriculture, 3(1), 90–111. from https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/3/1/90/htm.

Fung, K. M., Tai, A. P., Yong, T., Liu, X., & Lam, H.-M. (2019). Co-benefits of intercropping as a sustainable farming method for safeguarding both food security and air quality. Environmental Research Letters, 14(4), 044011. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aafc8b

Graham, P. H., & Ranalli, P. (1997). Common bean (phaseolus vulgaris L.). Field Crops Research, 53(1-3), 131–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0378-4290(97)00112-3 from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378429097001123.\

Limpert, E. (2016, March 31). Growing native american heritage: The Three sisters. Poughkeepsie Farm Project. Retrieved October 16, 2021, from https://www.farmproject.org/blog/2016/3/31/growing-native-american-heritage-the-three-sisters.

Martinez, M., Mely Martínez – México en mi Cocina, Stanislav, medina, B., Hsjsjsj, Kora, Lugo, D. Z., Celeny, Alguen, González, G., Josefina, Plascencia, O., & Nathalie. (2019, July 12). Cómo hacer frijoles CHARROS O Frijoles a LA Charra │Comida Mexicana. Recetas de comida mexicana | México en mi Cocina. Retrieved September 20, 2021, from https://www.mexicoenmicocina.com/receta-frijoles-charros/.

Murphy, A. (2016, November 16). Meet the three sisters who sustain Native America. PBS. Retrieved October 15, 2021, from https://www.pbs.org/native-america/blogs/native-voices/meet-the-three-sisters-who-sustain-native-america/.

Ranjan, R., Chandel, A. K., Khot, L. R., Bahlol, H. Y., Zhou, J., Boydston, R. A., & Miklas, P. N. (2019). Irrigated pinto bean crop stress and yield assessment using ground based low altitude remote sensing technology. Information Processing in Agriculture, 6(4), 502–514. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inpa.2019.01.005 from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214317318302312?via%3Dihub.

Roberts, R., Baker, M., & Cotner, S. (2002, April 8). Pinto Beans. Texas commercial vegetable GROWERS Guide pinto beans. Retrieved September 20, 2021, from https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/beans/pintobeans/pintobeans.html.