Fork + Fauna

On a friend’s farm early this fall, I learned about this amazing property of bean leaves. They stick. My friend Tessa picked the leaves and stuck them on our kids’ shirts, calling them “leaf badges.”

These leaf badges are appealing to me—partially, I think, because I always looked in envy at the Cub Scouts in my elementary school classes. Not only did they get to wear their scouting uniforms while I was stuck in my plaid parochial school skirt, but they got to learn new skills and then show them off to the world with a tiny little patch bearing a bow and arrow or a red cross. But also, the leaves seem to stick with Velcro-like properties—and, in fact, “sticky” burrs are what inspired a Swiss engineer to invent Velcro in the first place.

I haven’t come up with any inventions since getting my leaf badge, but I have been able to try Tessa’s amazing bean varieties, including the gorgeous dragon tongue beans, which have stripes of purple on their shells. I’ve since learned that there are even all-bean CSAs—Lonesome Whistle Farm in Eugene, Oregon offers shares with eight varieties of heirloom beans to local residents.

Tessa told me how to cook her beans—lots of olive oil and garlic, and you can’t really go wrong (my favorite kind of recipe).