S'toti Pawi Bean is a white tepary bean variety preserved for generations by Tohono O'odham farmers in the low desert village of Big Fields, Arizona. This heat-loving, drought-resilient cultivar thrives in zones 3 through 11 and requires minimal water once established, making it exceptionally well suited to arid and semi-arid gardening. The beans develop a delicate, slightly sweet flavor that distinguishes them from other dried bean varieties. Space plants 6 inches apart in rows 24 inches wide, sow when soil temperatures reach 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and you'll harvest mature pods in a growing season tailored to low-desert conditions.
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Grown in the Tohono O'odham village of Big Fields for many years by a single dedicated farmer, this variety carries genuine cultural stewardship and survival. The beans are strikingly white and possess a subtle sweetness that makes them remarkable in soups and stews. Its tepary bean genetics mean it shrugs off heat and drought stress that would challenge conventional varieties, and it grows reliably across an unusually wide hardiness range from zone 3 to zone 11.
S'toti Pawi Beans are dried and cooked for use in soups, stews, and traditional bean dishes. Their slightly sweet flavor and tender cooking characteristics make them particularly suited to slow-cooked preparations where the subtle taste can develop and shine. They can also be ground into flour for baking or mixed into grain-based dishes.
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Sow seeds directly into the garden after the last frost date when soil temperature reaches 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Plant at appropriate depth for bean seeds, spacing them 6 inches apart in rows spaced 24 inches wide.
Harvest mature, dried pods when the plants have finished flowering and pod development is complete. Pods should be completely dry and brittle before collecting. Shell the beans from the pods and store them once fully dry.
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“S'toti Pawi Bean originates from the low desert near Big Fields, a Tohono O'odham village located at roughly 2,000 feet elevation in Arizona. An O'odham farmer maintained this white tepary bean variety for many years, preserving its genetics and characteristics through careful seed saving and replanting. The variety entered the Native Seeds/SEARCH Seed Bank Collection, ensuring that this piece of O'odham agricultural heritage would not be lost to time or changing farming practices. The name itself, s'toti pawi, translates to 'big fields,' honoring both the geographic origin and the agricultural tradition from which it came.”