I’m not exactly why I grow beans specifically for drying. It takes up tons of space and water. They take forever to dry, THEN you have to shell them by hand as quickly as you can before the vines and leaves get moldy. They are much cheaper at the store, so why do it? The warm flavor and smooth texture of these beautiful, home-grown and hand-harvested Cranberry Beans will show you why.

Cranberry Beans & Rice

1 C dried cranberry beans
1¾ C veggie or chicken stock
1 C stewed tomatoes, drained & chopped
¾ C water
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
½ t salt
¼ t Tabasco sauce
4 oz thick cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 small onion, diced
1 cloves of garlic, minced
4 C cooked whole grain rice
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the beans in a medium-sized bowl, cover with boiling water and let stand for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350º. Combine stock, tomatoes, water, Worcestershire, bay leaves, salt and Tabasco in a soup pot and bring to a boil. Drain the beans and add them to the mixture. Stir in the bacon, onion and garlic. Toss in ¼ teaspoon of pepper flakes if you like a some heat.

Cover the pot and move to the oven. Bake until beans are tender, 1½ hours. Let the dish stand for 10 minutes before serving over the rice. Great for weekend guests. Serves 6.