The joy of heirloom beans

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Dear Lynne: In a gift shop I found heirloom beans called Jacob's Cattle Beans. I cooked them, liked them, but now about four cups are left in the refrigerator. Any thoughts for a main-dish salad? It's hotter than a pancake griddle here, so grilling or using the stove is not an option.Is there history to this bean? And where might I find other heirloom beans? These are like eating roast chicken -- so tasty. -- Tyrah in Little Town ArizonaDear Tyrah: You have entered one of my favorite realms -- heirloom beans. Prepare for adventure because they are legion in number, no two types are alike, some are stunningly good, and they can have great names. Forget "pinto" and "chickpea" and think "Lazy Wife," "Black Valentine," "Bertie Best Greasy Bean," "African Cave" and the oh-so-appealing "Tobacco Worm."Some heirlooms show off wild patterns of spots, speckles, yin/yang patterns, stripes and dapples. The trick to keeping their patterns: Don't stir them a great deal when they are cooking, and simmer them very gently, at the barest bubble.Here is the key to bean salads: Any dressing you can put on a green salad will work with room-temperature beans. Of course, I can't leave it at that, so below is a recipe I use with heirlooms, or canned black beans or pintos. The idea came from the Middle Eastern treatment of bulgur wheat. Yet dress your Jacob Cattle Beans this way and you should enjoy them. Serve the salad with whole-grain bread to make a complete protein, and some fresh berries or peaches for dessert.Jacob's Cattle Beans remind me of delicate meat crossed with green beans, only sweeter. An odd juxtaposition, but this bean can be pretty rich.As to where to find more heirloom beans, I just saw three types of Jacob Cattle Beans and a flock of other heirloom legumes at the Seed Savers Exchange in Iowa. It sustains heirloom vegetables, and sells seeds and the beans for cooking. Here is the Seed Savers site and two others for ordering a variety of beans: www.nativeseeds.org, www.purcellmountainfarms.com and www.seedsavers.org.For fun, take a look at the www.beckyandthebeanstock.com blog to track Becky's goal of eating a different heirloom bean each week for all of 2008.As for Jacob Cattle's history, Slow Food USA has taken Jacob's Cattle Bean (one of 26 different beans) onto its Ark of Taste, a project described as "saving cherished slow foods, one product at a time." It claims the bean is a Prince Edward Island heirloom, and that legend says it was a gift from the Passamaquoddy Indians of Maine to Joseph Clark, the first white child born in Lubec, Maine. I can't find any reliable commentary on where the name came from.Now that you've waded through all that verbiage, at last here is the recipe you asked for:CUMIN-SCENTED SUMMER BEAN SALAD WITH NEW GARLIC AND MINTServes 4 to 6 as a main dishIf cooking dried heirloom beans like Jacob's Cattle Beans or Calypso's is possible, do it, but for hot weather I open cans of organic black beans to do this salad. The young garlic called for here is garlic that still has very moist skin and cloves that are barely separated.Juice of a whole large lemon, or more to taste1 whole small head very young garlic, sliced into thin strips (2 large mature garlic cloves, minced, can be substituted)1 teaspoon coarse salt1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (toast for 2 minutes in a dry skillet)2 15-ounce cans black beans or pinto beans, rinsed and drained1/4 cup good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil, or to taste1/4 tightly packed cup flat-leafed parsley, coarsely chopped1/2 tightly packed cup of fresh spearmint leaves, coarsely choppedIn a large bowl combine the lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and cumin. Let stand for 15 minutes. Toss in the beans with the olive oil. Let stand for an hour at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to a day.To serve, bring the beans to room temperature. Taste for lemon, salt and pepper. Then fold in the fresh herbs. Serve cool, but not cold.(Lynne Rossetto Kasper hosts "The Splendid Table," American Public Media's national food show, and is co-author of "The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories and Opinions." Ask questions and find Lynne, recipes and station listings at splendidtable.org, or 800-537-5252.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)