Rancho Gordo Royal Corona Beans

Royal Corona Beans—Italian-bred, grown and hand-harvested in Poland—are rich, meaty and have a lusciously creamy texture when cooked. These large heirloom white runner beans—a cross between Greek and Spanish gigante beans and traditional Italian coronas—cook up to be about twice the size of a classic lima bean and are a welcome addition to everything from hearty salads to soups and stews.

Cook a big pot of beans and use them all-week long—toss the cooked beans with flaked Ortiz Bonito del Norte Tuna and a lemony dressing, crisp them and add to sautéed greens, add them to hearty vegetable soups or enjoy a simple bowlful drizzled with lots of extra virgin olive oil and topped with crunchy crystals of fleur de sel. Steve Sando—heirloom bean aficionado and founder of Rancho Gordo—loves using Royal Corona Beans as a meat substitute simmered in a spicy red chili.

For the uninitiated, it might seem odd that freshness matters when it comes to dried beans. But in fact, a dried bean is alive - remember that you can plant them! So knowing that Steve from Rancho Gordo only grows small amounts of his incredible heirloom beans means that each season, you're getting the freshest bean possible.