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Supreme beans

Rancho Gordo's heirloom dried beans turn up on some of the swellest tables in the Bay Area, from Manresa to the French Laundry. With evocative names like 'Eye of the Goat' and 'Sangre de Toro' (bull's blood), these splotched and speckled beans have made Napa's Rancho Gordo, the distributor and online retailer, into a million-dollar business.

Now for the news flash: You can grow these beans at home. Many of Rancho Gordo's customers may not realize that they can buy a pound of 'Good Mother Stollard' beans, save a dozen and cook the rest. Planted in warm ground in late spring or early summer, the saved beans will sprout, grow like mad (remember Jack's bean stalk?) and produce a modest crop suitable for soup and for bragging rights in the neighborhood.

"In Napa, I've planted as late as July 1, and those plants caught up with the ones I planted in late April," says Steve Sando, Rancho Gordo founder and author of the new "Rancho Gordo Heirloom Bean Growing" Guide. "June is safe for everybody."

Planting heirloom bean seeds (see Resources) ensures that you can save some of your harvest as seed for the following year. Hybrids do not "come true," meaning that if you save their seeds for replanting, the next generation may not look like the parents. What's more, heirlooms provide the satisfaction of knowing you are perpetuating beans with long histories and often deep cultural significance but little commercial utility. Heirlooms may not produce the yield or have the disease resistance that commercial growers require, but they endure in communities because of their superior taste.

And Sando insists that growing heirlooms successfully takes no special soil, skill or attentiveness.



"You can almost just stick the seed in unprepared ground and prepare to be amazed," says the merchant, who grew some of his own supply initially but now contracts with growers in the United States and Mexico for his inventory.

But you will need sun, so choose a site that gets six to eight hours of sunlight a day. Beans prefer a very slightly acidic soil (pH of 6.0 to 6.8); an inexpensive soil-testing kit from a nursery or hardware store can give you a reasonably accurate pH reading. If your soil is too acidic, dig in some dolomitic lime. If too alkaline, add some compost or composted manure. Avoid adding too much nitrogen, however, or your plants will produce mostly leaves and not much crop.

Some heirloom beans are bush types that don't require support; others are tall-growing pole beans that want to clamber up a trellis, tepee or fence. Sando says that his Mexican growers never use supports, even for pole beans, and that his own trials showed no advantage to trellising pole types. If you have enough room, says Sando, you can simply let them sprawl. If your garden space is more limited, or if you would rather it look a little more as if Martha Stewart lived there, provide some support (see "How to make a trellis").

Beans germinate slowly, if at all, in cold ground, so wait until the soil temperature warms to at least 60 degrees. A soil temperature of 80 degrees is even better for germination. Plant the seeds about an inch deep and 4 to 6 inches apart. Provide moderate water - about an inch a week, depending on weather - and watch for bean beetles. Hand-pick any you see. Floating row covers can provide some protection for bush beans.

lifestyle behaviors can keep improve heart health

Heart disease and stroke, the number one and three causes of death of Americans..
Seven lifestyle behaviors for healthy heart...

The American Heart Association calls these “Life’s Simple Seven.” Improvements in these seven areas can greatly impact quality of life and life span. Life’s Simple Seven recommends that people:

1. Stop smoking
2. Get active
3. Lose weight
4. Eat better
5. Manage blood pressure
6. Control cholesterol
7. Reduce blood sugar

Regular exercise, especially aerobic exercise, has many benefits. It can:

.Strengthen your heart and cardiovascular system.
.Improve your circulation and help your body use oxygen better.
.Improve your heart failure symptoms.
.Increase energy levels so you can do more activities without becoming tired or short of breath.
.Increase endurance.
.Lower blood pressure.
.Improve muscle tone and strength.
.Improve balance and joint flexibility.
.Strengthen bones.
.Help reduce body fat and help you reach a healthy weight.
.Help reduce stress, tension, anxiety, and depression.
.Boost self-image and self-esteem.
.Improve sleep.
.Make you feel more relaxed and rested.
.Make you look fit and feel healthy.

My Life Check is an accurate, personal assessment in the seven areas. After entering your information, the personal heart score will suggest simple steps to improve your heart health and quality of life. It will provide specific action plans that designed to help change behaviors and realize individual health goals.

These measures have one unique thing in common: any person can make these changes, the steps are not expensive to take and even modest improvements will make a big difference.

It’s never too late to make better choices for health. It’s better to stop heart disease before it even starts. The AHA recommends starting with small, simple changes and goals. The idea is to eventually stop making poor lifestyle choices.

Research shows those who can reach cardiovascular wellness goals by age 50 can expect to live another 40 years free from heart disease and stroke.

How Often Should I Exercise?

In general, to achieve maximum benefits, you should gradually work up to an aerobic session lasting 20 to 30 minutes, at least three to four times a week. Exercising every day or every other day will help you keep a regular aerobic exercise schedule.