Sonoran Desert
Seeds kept for another season
A community garden connects tepary beans, a seed bank, and the next generation of growers.
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Arizona
Approximate regional locators · modern coastlines. Map: Natural Earth, public domain ↗
MEET THE INGREDIENTS
A small regional pantry.
Plants connected to these readings. The source notes below preserve broad ingredient names where species or varieties are uncertain.
A place in the record
Chris Picciuolo records a tepary planting and harvest at the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. Stetson Mendoza describes seed separation with a fan and contrasts it with an older basket-based method.
Knowledge in practice
The report describes keeping beans for a seed bank and making seeds available to community members. Proposed cooking classes are plans in that account, rather than classes documented as completed.
One contemporary community garden account. It does not speak for every O’odham community or prescribe desert growing conditions.
BESIDE THE RECIPE
Tepary beans: harvest and keeping
White and brown tepary beans were allowed to dry before harvest in the reported field. Separating pods from seeds belongs to the work between growing and cooking.
Read the preparation cardAn attributed reading of a preparation, not a complete recipe. Herbologium has not independently kitchen-tested it.
A question to bring home
Which seeds were saved, who grew them, and what name did the grower use?
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Keep a family story →OPEN THE RECORD
Sources kept close.
- Chris Picciuolo · O’odham Action News. Community Garden Harvests Tepary Beans From New Field (2023). ↗
Consulted October 17, 2026. Text used for a concise attributed reading; no media reproduced.
Another account or a detail to correct? Help us improve this record →
Your notes on this card
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AT THE MAKER’S TABLE
Recipes and their people.
Open a complete recipe in the collection. Source adaptations and contemporary editorial companions retain their own credits and scope.
- Cooked tepary beans with onion and chile →
Herbologium editorial preparation (AI-assisted)
- Tepary bean and roasted pepper dip →
Herbologium editorial preparation (AI-assisted)
THE THINGS WE PASS ON
Take this pantry home.
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A place beside the story
Continue in the Atlas.
One contemporary community garden account. It does not speak for every O’odham community or prescribe desert growing conditions.
Documented account