2016 Heritage Food Project Highlights the Cherokee Trail of Tears Bean

This article submitted by Slow Food Asheville

You in the Slow Food community voted, and the winning bean variety for the field and garden trials this year is the Cherokee Trail of Tears Bean:

photo courtesy of Slow Food Asheville

This Cherokee bean has been prized in the Southern Appalachian mountains for its flavor and growing qualities, and this year Slow Food will be highlighting the bean in its community variety trials. Grow with us! 

Home gardeners, farmers, and slow food enthusiasts alike are all welcome to participate in growing the bean, sharing photos and observations, drying and saving seed, and/or sharing a meal at the end of the season to celebrate the bean and learn from each other. 

Sign Up To Participate Here

Our chapter will also be exploring the historical context of the beans and the stories carried within them. Clearly there is a tragic story associated with the Trail of Tears beans, evident in its name. Tragic stories are often some of the most important ones to be told. We seek through this project to honor the hardship of the Cherokee, embrace the legacy of the bean, and carry forward our collective learnings and seeds for the future.  

Slow Food Asheville is located at 1679 Barnardsville Hwy in Barnardsville, North Carolina (a bit northeast of Asheville)