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For $7.90 a pound (including shipping) I should have liked those pintos better than any I've ever had. They should have been as good as the ones I grew years ago - and I was expecting them to be that good. As it turned out they're not even as good as the $1.69/pound pintos at the local coop.

I don't use that much canned tuna, except maybe for tuna salad sandwiches in the summer when I'm too lazy to do something else. At any rate, I have some (three) cans of Bumblebee "Prime Fillet Solid White Albacore" (in water) and, according to the label, the only stuff in the can is,"white tuna, water, salt, pyrophosphate added". What's pyrophosphate? Anyhow, no vegetable broth or soy. But no "Prime Fillet Solid White Albacore" either. Tastes okay, but has almost the consistency of cat food. Certainly no solid tuna and not like what we got years ago from Bumblebee or other domestic companies.

Jaymes, The way everyone here has raved about Rancho Gordo I thought I should give them a try, and at least the pintos weren't anything special. I'll see what the others are like. I'm going to try your suggestion of Pasta e Fagioli with the runner Cannellinis and see what they're like. Looking at the Pacific Grain & Food bean list, it looks like they're really a white kidney bean. Or maybe I missed that at the RG site. Yes, I really like the oregano. Haven't tried the Oregano Indio yet. Any ideas on where to use it? And a favorite recipe for Pasta e Fagioli? I've never made it.

Interesting. I got pintos and Good Mother Stollards as well, and the pintos were the first ones I tried - just so I could have something to compare with supermarket beans. I didn't refry - I used the no-soak method, with a small amount of aromatics halfway through (the last of this year's sage, a bay leaf, and a couple crushed garlic cloves). And I found them delicious... but better than the supermarket beans? I'm not so sure. Will try the Stollards next and report back. I've been getting my dry beans from the local coop for years so I can't compare the Rancho Gordo beans with ones from a supermarket, but the RG pintos weren't as good as what I've been getting from the coop. They were bland in comparison - including after cooking and before refry. If the beans are really good I usually don't refry them all, but save some just to eat plain. As before, the RG pintos were pretty bland, and the "liquor" wasn't as dark or as good as coop beans. The coop sells their beans in bulk bins and I'm going there this afternoon. If whoever does the bean buying is there I'll find out more about where the beans come from and how old they are. I went to the coop (Rising Tide) and they get the beans from Pacific Grain & Foods in Fresno, CA. Pretty impressive distributor with a lot of beans on this list. While they don't have all the interesting beans Rancho Gordo carries I noticed they do have Christmas limas. Karen, who works at the coop, is going to try to find out more and let me know if she does. I know that all the beans I've gotten at the coop were good, and it's interesting to note that the coop's price on pintos is $1.69.

Interesting. I got pintos and Good Mother Stollards as well, and the pintos were the first ones I tried - just so I could have something to compare with supermarket beans. I didn't refry - I used the no-soak method, with a small amount of aromatics halfway through (the last of this year's sage, a bay leaf, and a couple crushed garlic cloves). And I found them delicious... but better than the supermarket beans? I'm not so sure. Will try the Stollards next and report back. I've been getting my dry beans from the local coop for years so I can't compare the Rancho Gordo beans with ones from a supermarket, but the RG pintos weren't as good as what I've been getting from the coop. They were bland in comparison - including after cooking and before refry. If the beans are really good I usually don't refry them all, but save some just to eat plain. As before, the RG pintos were pretty bland, and the "liquor" wasn't as dark or as good as coop beans. The coop sells their beans in bulk bins and I'm going there this afternoon. If whoever does the bean buying is there I'll find out more about where the beans come from and how old they are.

Allied Kenco has these slicers, but I don't know anything about them. Maybe someone else here does.

And I'm really looking forward to hearing back what you think. Well, the Rancho Gordo beans (and oregano) arrived last Friday. The Good Mother Stollard and the Christmas limas are beautiful beans. But.... Tonight I cooked half a pound of the Pintos for refried's using the same recipe I've used for years. I have to say the Pintos I get from the local coop are at least as good, and most of the time better. Pretty disappointing to pay $5.50/pound, plus shipping, for these. The Mexican oregano is good though, and I hope the other beans I got will be better than the Pintos.

I tried it for lunch and turning the heat off after adding the egg works fine. But I can get better results by carefully adding the egg from the shell to the water than putting it on a saucer. The saucer spreads the white out on the saucer - and then in the water. If water temp is right, putting the egg directly in water results in a "tighter" result.

Shel_B - That's a good link and scrolling down to "CLAD METAL STAINLESS STEEL PANS" shows why those are better than just the disc on the bottom. At least to my mind. I've been using AllClad stainless for quite a while and I like the way they cook. The heat really does come up the sides - so much that you don't really want to touch it. The heat even comes up the sides of the 7 quart stockpot, which is pretty high. Like this one. Between AllClad and LeCreuset, and some old Griswold cast iron that were my mother's, I'm pretty well set.

Same in Maine. Might be one reason Maine has a very healthy number of lobsters.

Could it be caused by hard water? Does soap not "lather" as well as other places you've lived? Thinking hard water may be the cause, I found this website to check. It reports: Hard water can interfere with cleaning tasks – from laundering and dishwashing to bathing and personal grooming. Other telltale signs of hard water include: Spots on dishes and glasses when dry. Soap scum or film on glass shower doors, shower walls, bathtubs, sinks and faucets. Might be worth finding out more about your water.

I heard the author interviewed last night on Fresh Air, with Terry Gross. Right now, Tuesday, the interview is on the main page at the link. It was very interesting.

Do you notice the chicken growth make a real difference to the flavour? And does the cumin seed disintegrate in cooking or does it remain whole? You also mentioned Mexican oregano - is that very different to Greek oregano in flavour? Chicken broth instead of just water does enhance flavor. The cumin seed itself kind of disappears during cooking, but adds good flavor. Probably be better if it were toasted (like sesame seeds) before putting in beans. Mexican oregano is quite different from Greek. Better in bean dishes like this. It's not often available here in Maine, so I just ordered some from Rancho Gordo at the same time I placed my order for beans.

Well, as I said above, even though the Runner Cannellinis are not the same Cannellinis as those often called for in Pasta e Fagioli, they're what we use, and they're just wonderful. I make it with prosciutto or pancetta, and it's so good on these cold winter days. I'd say it's hard to go wrong. Thanks again. I'll try that. Got notified the beans have been shipped and should be here next Friday.

And I'm really looking forward to hearing back what you think. Thanks, Jaymes. The beans will probably get here late next week and then I'll start trying them. In half pound batches since I only got a pound of each. If anyone has suggestions on what to use each kind for I'd welcome them.

I just placed an order with Rancho Gordo and, except for Pintos which I'd get anyhow, based my order on recommendations from the four pages of this thread. Good Mother Stallard and Christmas Limas got the most recommendations, so I ordered a pound of each. Runner Cannellini came in next, so a pound of those. Followed by Mayacoba - one pound. And, of course, a pound of Pintos. Also, one each of Mexican oregano and Oregano Indio. I'm looking forward to getting these. Sort of like a Christmas present to myself.

I think it's safe to say Jim Gerritsen doesn't need a paradigm shift, and has some idea of what he's doing and talking about. What sort of farming do you do? I don't doubt that he knows what he's talking about. Commodity farming sucks...been there, done that! It wasn't until after I underwent a paradigm shift that I started getting fair prices for my products and farming in a truly sustainable way. Too each his own! I'm an organic grower of vegetables, meats and eggs (and a few other products) who markets directly. Gerritsen isn't a commodity farmer, but farms in up in Aroostook County where there isn't much opportunity for local direct marketing. Aroostook is a long way from anywhere and is mainly (commodity) potato growing. I believe his main crop is organic seed potatoes, and he's president of the Organic Seed Growers & Trade Association. He and his family own Wood Prarie Farm and while I don't think he's bought any $200,000 tractors, his operation is big enough to need tractors and all the equipment that goes with an operation like his. Here's a kind of funky YouTube video of his But, getting back to the point of my original post, ways need to be found to keep small farmers in business, whether they're organic or not. They care about what they grow and they grow food that's a lot better tasting, and probably healthier, than most of what's available in most supermarkets.

I think it's safe to say Jim Gerritsen doesn't need a paradigm shift, and has some idea of what he's doing and talking about. What sort of farming do you do?

At least in my area, midcoast Maine, established small farmers are selling through farm stands, such as Beth's Farm Market, which is not far from me. It started out as a small operation selling sweet corn (usually the earliest corn available here) and over the years has grown to the point where they need three cash registers - and sometimes there are lines at all three. Another, Spear Farm, is located in town on Route 1. For generations the Spears were a dairy farm, producing only milk that was trucked in bulk trucks to a processor. About fifteen or twenty years ago Bob Spear could see the writing on the wall for small (100 cow) dairies and began growing vegetables, starting with sweet corn. They now supply local Hannaford's supermarkets with corn and other vegetables, as well as having two farm stands. This is one direction successful small farmers are going. Others are focused on supplying local supermarkets and restaurants.

Getting mise en place done and finally ready to start cooking.

What he said! Okay. Okay. You guys have shamed me into placing an order with Rancho Gordo if my mate, Beedy, will go along with it. She'll have to help select what beans we want to try. And help pay for them.... Update: I talked with Beedy and I'm going to order five or six pounds of beans, and some Mexican oregano and Oregano Indio. I need some help in deciding what to get for beans. I'm definitely going to get a pound of Pintos, so I can compare them with what I've grown, and a pound of Good Mother Stallard's, since they seem to be a favorite on this thread. What other beans do you recommend, and what do you make with them?

Or a A Maine Farmer Speaks to Wall Street Jim Gerritsen, a fairly well known (in Maine) northern Maine farmer decided to go to NYC and speak at an Occupy Wall Street event. The link above to the NYT is worth reading if you care about small farmers and where your food comes from.

Here's what I do. Nothing that will knock your socks off, but it's reliable and easily modified. Which I often do. Refried Pinto Beans Ingredients: 1/2 pound pinto beans 3 tablespoons onion 1 tablespoon garlic 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed 1 small chipotle pepper double smoked bacon water 14 oz. can of Swanson’s (low sodium) chicken broth Wash beans, pick out any stones, and put in a two quart sauce pan. Add water to twice the depth of the beans. Bring to a boil and shut off heat. After beans have swollen more than the height of water add chicken broth. After an hour turn on heat and add all the rest of ingredients as it heats. When it gets near a boil turn down heat and simmer until beans are soft. After the beans are better than half cooked start tasting the broth to see what to add – if necessary. If all the ingredients are really good, nothing will need to be added. If it lacks full flavor add some Williams Beano pinto bean spice. Good stuff. Check out this for kicks. Might want to add some Mexican oregano, if you have some. When beans are soft enough to mash turn off heat. This means pretty soft, but not ready to fall apart. Now it gets personal, as for doing this recipe I use an All Clad 2 quart saucepan for cooking the beans and an All Clad 2 quart sauté for the mashing. Whatever you do for the mashing stage you want a fairly shallow pot or pan. Melt some bacon fat (or good lard) in the sauté pan and add some chopped onion. After that’s cooked only a little bit, using a slotted spoon, add the beans, but remove the chipotle unless you’re looking for the heat. Mash the beans with a potato masher until they’re the consistency you’re looking for. I like a few whole beans left in the mix. After they’re mashed, add cooking liquid. Here it gets tricky as there’s usually more liquid left in the pot than should be added to the beans. Less is better, but you want a kind of soupy mixture which you then cook down until the mixture is the right consistency. Sometimes I add some chopped onion after adding the liquid.

While I'm not sure if a Corona will grind coffee beans well enough for what you want, there must be some place in Montreal that sells them? Maybe check with people at food coops.

This is not helpful. Country asked a reasonable question about the statement "RG beans are fresher". Country even expressly said that the quality of the beans was not being questioned, simply the logistics of how they could be fresher, given the nature of beans, seasons, etc. For this, you offer a dismissive attack. I too am curious how the US ends up with huge stocks of years old beans, if new harvests come every year. While it makes sense for commercial bean-product producers to keep some stashed against poor harvests, it doesnt make sense to pay storage for years when new product will be available. Its that whole 'just in time' inventory concept. Storage is expensive and risky. So, I too am curious where is the info on the age of the beans my grocer sells me. (I dont doubt I have beans in my cupboard old enough to vote, because I put them in that cupboard that long ago, but why would a grocer deal with inventory that way?) Thanks for the support. I too still want to find out more on how old the beans are in most local stores. Hannaford is a chain located in the Northeast with 179 stores and a large presence in Maine. I shop at their (very good) store in Damariscotta and I'll see if someone there can find out how old their dry beans are. I'll also check with my local coop, of which I'm a member, and ask them - which should be easier than finding out from Hannaford, if only because the coop sells beans in bulk and probably has a shorter supply line.