Hello, Flower! I hope you're feeling better. I had that cold last week. I made a white bean dish with ham and sour cream. But your spicy soup would be much more soothing for a cold. A former neighbor, who was born in Italy but grew up in France, taught me about using kale, spinach or argula in bean dishes which are soups or stews. I remember peering into her large cooking pot one day, and asking her what in the world was floating around in her beans. She said, kale, and she offered me a bowl. It was the first time I ate kale. I was sold! Another French person moved in next door. He was a shy person, but he took to dropping in for visits. One day I was cooking beans, country style pork ribs and kale--a hearty soup. He walked in the door, took a whiff of the cooking scent, and excitedly hurried over to the stove to have a peek. He lifted the lid of the pot, and backed away with tears in his eyes. I was flummoxed. I inquired as to why he was crying. He said, it is cooking just like my mother make (sic). I offered him a bowl. He sat down to eat, tasted the food, and began to tear up again. He told me it tasted just like his mother's cooking. Years later I offered the same dish to another new neighbor, a Ukrainian woman. She declared that it was food just like from back home! She demanded to know how I knew how to cook Russian food?! When I began working with the Ohlone Community Garden I took to growing kale and other greens. One of the other gardeners, of Italian descent, told me to try stir frying kale with chopped garlic. She said not to add a couple of tablespoons of liquid until the edges of the kale were beginning to crisp. She told me to serve the kale alongside, or on top of, pasta. I tried her recipe and liked that, too. Lorna

I am truly THRILLED with my package selection! Thanks so very much for hosting and taking such care choosing varieties for everyone. You did a fantastic job! :) (I need to move near Gary tho... wow, I would love to see that sort of harvest going on! ) :)) ~Wendy

It's also good with Swiss chard. I always use some white wine in my bean soup, too.

I order from Purcell Mountain Farms a couple times a year, and I'll have to check out calypso beans the next time. Rancho Gordo is another great source for some amazing beans, and recipes using them, if you haven't checked out their stock. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Rancho Gordo