Where do you buy your beans (non-coffee)?

Disappointed once again after an overnight soak of supermarket (Brown's Best) red kidney beans, I searched here and found several threads that touched on this subject but none with the answers I'm looking for. Do you even bother with dried beans, or stick with canned? Are there any supermarket brands of dried beans that are reliable - Goya, perhaps? Are reliably good dried beans available at certain stores such as Whole Foods, Garden Fresh Market, Caputos ...? Are ethnic markets the best source - Italian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Greek? (None of those, by the way, seem like the place to look for dried red kidney beans, cannelini, or great Northern beans.) Are there any mail order sources worth the extra expense and delay?

I've never had any problems with dried beans. I usually buy Goya brand.

What kind of problems are you having?

For dried bean varieties that aren't grown locally, I use Phipps Country Store.. This is the best source of dried beans I've ever found. The cannellini are far better than anything I can buy locally.

Bill/SFNM

Many split skins and broken beans (this after I picked over them yesterday before soaking), and about a 50-50 success rate on whether they ever soften up after an hour or more of cooking. The end product looks nowhere near as attractive as canned beans, but then you're paying at least double, when you count the water, aren't you?

I buy cannellini beans at Graziano's, and they've always been great.

My belief is that old beans will never soften up no matter how much you cook them, thus the expression "tough beans." I have had this happen to me before. Try to find a source with a lot of turnover to ensure fresh product. Check the date on the package. Cross your fingers.

Thanks, Bill. I have not seen dried cannellini beans anywhere that I've been around Chicago yet.

Although from some other threads I am starting to get the idea I need to make a trip to Graziano's on Randolph.

Freaky - I see kennyz's just posted the same thing!

Katie wrote:Thanks, Bill. I have not seen dried cannellini beans anywhere that I've been around Chicago yet.

Although from some other threads I am starting to get the idea I need to make a trip to Graziano's on Randolph.

Freaky - I see kennyz's just posted the same thing!

You might want to look for white kidney beans. Some of the descriptions of beans are less than standard.

I buy all of my dried beans from Rancho Gordo on line.

I buy all of my dried beans from Rancho Gordo on line.

I only use dried beans and I'm another very happy user of Rancho Gordo. Excellent product, but on the expensive side.

I have been happy with the beans from http://www.purcellmountainfarms.com the 2 times that I have ordered from them. I also like their cornmeals very much, particularly their organic polenta for grits.

-Will

I too am a fan of Rancho Gordo beans; I buy them at Southport Grocery and save on shipping.

Southport Grocery
3552 N. Southport
Chicago IL 60657
773-665-0100

I had no idea I could buy them locally. Do they have a good selection at Southport?

I bought Red Nightfall, Yellow Eye, and Vaquero there about two months ago.

Robin Mather, who used to work for the Tribune food section and occasionally contributes an article, is now offering Arizona-grown beans at her online shop.

Use promo code "Arizona" at checkout to get $1 off any 1-pound bag of beans labeled Arizona grown. The offer stacks, so if you order 3, you'll save $3. Shop now!

She is unaware I am mentioning her efforts, but enough people buy beans to ship-in, you may be interested in her wares.

Regards,
CAthy2

I buy the bulk of my beans these days at Winco Food's bulk section. I have seen little difference in the quality of the beans. Winco offers some of the freshest beans as their turnover on their bulk foods is probably the best in the industry.

Increasingly, I am choosing to soak beans over the canned variety as the cost is a lot less and the dried beans are easier to store.