There exists a bean with a wonderful flavor not only in it's taste, but in it's fanciful story as well. I happen to love the taste of this bean, and seeing as how many of this beans story's involves a cave, and archaeologist, I figured I'd see if any anyone among us knew anything substantive about these enigmatic beans.
A picture of the bean can be seen at: https://www.sunshinefarm.net/eshop/storeimages/Beans%20anasazi.jpg The most common name in use is Anasazi Bean, a name now trademarked by Adobe Milling Co. It is also known as the Cave Bean, Anasazi Cave Bean, New Mexico Cave Bean, and other predictable arrangements and mutations of these names. It is commonly confused with the Jacob's Cattle Bean, which is actually a New England heirloom dating to the 1700's. I first heard the story of this bean as a child, before the daze of the Internet. It was said that an archeology team discovered clay vessels containing the beans at an Anasazi ruin. The size of the find was large enough, and the archaeologist curious enough, that they planted some. To everyone's surprise the beans germinated, and today we have the once lost Anasazi Bean. Today, many variations of this story can be found on the Internet, usually with much more detail, and the details often differing from one version to another. It seems quite standard to say that the beans and / or jar were dated at 1,500yr old, and to say that the jar was sealed with pine pitch / tar. Various contradicting stories on the Internet implicate multiple university's and even make claims of word of mouth verification of these tails. One such story says they were discovered at Mesa Verde, Colorado and then taken to the Colorado State University Department of Agronomy. Another story claims the dig was in New Mexico and carried out by the UCLA. Some say the beans were planted officially, others say that it was the action of a rouge member of the team. The company with a trade mark on the name Anasazi Bean has this less glamorous story on there web site: "Anasazi Beans® were one of the few crops cultivated by the Anasazi. They were found in the ruins by settlers to the four corners area in the early 1900's. Presently they are grown at 7,000 ft. elevation on the same land the Anasazi inhabited." Some people nay-say the whole idea of the beans ever being lost and found. Then it is claimed that the bean has been in constant cultivation in small gardens of isolated Hopi Indian populations remaining from the time of the Anasazi. They claim various and contradicting times of discovery for the bean by western horticulturist, and that it spread in popularity due to it's taste. I'm wondering if any of the digroes in our community can shed any factual light on this mythological bean. In the meantime, perhaps I should acquire a trade mark on the name Cave Bean and start working on my story of how the Anasazi left the beans as an offering to Oztotl. Justin ------------------------------------- Civilizations Rise and Fall Mother Earth Spins Eternally for All --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
