Samhain Ancestors Chili

In autumn I begin harvesting my dried scarlet runner bean pods to have dry beans throughout the winter. Scarlet runner beans are an heirloom and many heirloom bean varieties are being rediscovered for their flavor and beauty. These beans have many uses throughout the seasons. Their scarlet flowers are a delicious edible flower in the spring. The small, immature bean pods make a tasty green bean in summer. But my favorite time to use them is now at the last harvest, Samhain, to make Samhain Ancestors Chili.

When in full maturity they exhibit a dark purple and black bean. Now they are perfect for celebrating the growing darkness and our ancestors’ heritage of cultivating food plants and passing them down through the generations. Dry beans nourish us through the dark times. They also offer a promise of rebirth in the spring. Be sure to tuck a few beans away to replant. Here in California my scarlet runner plants are perennial and come back in the spring. I save seeds for planting, and share with my friends and family.

As I shell the dry beans I think about my ancestors and the way their knowledge has been passed down to me through the plant world. I love to sing the song Breaths, which we recorded on our first album Crow Goddess. It reminds me of how our forebears have never left as long as I have these heirloom connections.

Those who have died
Have never, never left
The dead have a pact with the living
They are in the woman’s breast
They are in the wailing child
They are with us in the home
They are with us in the crowd
The dead have a pact with the living
So listen more often to things than to beings
Listen more often to things than to beings
‘Tis the ancestor’s word
When the fire’s voice is heard
‘Tis the ancestor’s word
In the voice of the waters

From Breaths by Birago Diop & Ysaye Barnwell.

On Samhain, you might place some beautiful uncooked scarlet runner beans on the altar. During your ritual, could pass them out so everyone can hold them while singing or listening to the song “Breaths”. Listen to the beans for the ancestors’ words. Later, enjoy Samhain Ancestors Chili as part of your feast after the ritual. It’s such a warming and hearty dish, perfect for a chilly Samhain night.

Scarlet runner beans are huge! My favorite way to eat them is in chili con carne, using the peppers and tomatoes that came out of my garden throughout the summer. I also use whatever other vegetables I have around, like carrots or celery. Vegetables are always a good thing to eat in variety.

I am an intuitive cook. I just throw things together depending on what I have, but I will do my best to give you a rough outline of how to proceed.

Samhain Ancestors Chili

• 1 cup Scarlet Runner Beans or other heirloom variety like cranberry or Anasazi
• 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 quart of water
• 1 large yellow onion
• 4-8 peppers of your choice – I use whatever is ready in my garden which includes bell, Anaheim, padron and pablano chilis
• 5 large cloves of garlic
• 2 pint jars (or cans) of crushed or diced tomatoes, or put a few handfuls of fresh tomatoes in your cuisinart or blender and then add tomatoes to pot.
• Saute 1 pound ground meat, beef or chicken, or tempeh if wanting a non-meat option
• 1-2 teaspoons of cumin
• 1/8-1/4 cup of chili powder

Soak dry beans in water by bringing them to a simmer in plenty of water and then turning them off to soak up more water for several hours to a day. Once I am ready to cook them I pour the soaking water off and rinse them. This helps with their digestibility and reduces how gassy they are. I then usually put them in my pressure cooker with some vegetable or chicken broth, which gives them a richer flavor. I cook them at pressure for 45 minutes. However, if you have the time, they can also be cooked in a slow cooker for 4-6 hours. Cooking beans on the stove has always been hard for me since they take so long. I often end up walking away from them long enough that they boil off all their water and burn. So I don’t recommend it if you are anything like me!

If pressure cooking bring beans and liquid up to pressure and cook for 45 minutes for large beans, 30 minutes for smaller beans. Once done turn off burner and allow pressure to release.

While the beans are cooking sauté together vegetables to bring out their flavors. Once they are cooked, add them to your beans. You can then place both beans and vegetables in a crock pot for slower cooking once they are both finished. Add crushed or diced canned tomatoes or put a few handfuls of fresh tomatoes in your Cuisinart or blender and then add tomatoes to the pot.

Saute 1 pound ground meat or tempeh, and add 1-2 teaspoons of cumin and 1/8 cup of chili powder to the meat while it is sauteing. Add this to the chili pot.

Add more chili powder until it tastes like chili. This can take more than you think–probably at least another 1/8 cup. Salt and pepper to taste.

Once all the ingredients are combined simmer for 30 minutes on the stove or cook on low in a crock put for several hours. Serve in bowls and add a dollop of yogurt, cilantro, lime juice or corn chips for even more flavor. Enjoy this Samhain Ancestors Chili!

And, be sure to remember and thank your ancestors for all of the food plants they have passed down through the generations. Remember them with your first and last bites. “The dead have a pact with the living.” They have gifted us with the foods that sustain us. In return, we remember them, especially now at Samhain.

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