We were in Salzburg, Austria recently. As I'd gotten some lovely green and yellow beans at the outdoor market, and it was hot, DH went to the grocery store for a can of kidney beans for a three bean salad. Nope, can't read the labels, gotta go by the pictures. So I get ready to cook and I open the can. Uh, honey, these are not kidney beans! They were positively huge, attractively speckled, and rather mild tasting, so that salad got made. It was quite tasty.
Then the research started. Thank goodness for Google Translate! They were kaeferbohnen (also spelled without the e and an umlaut over the a), or beetle beans. One place's everyday bean is another's heirloom, we know them as scarlet runner beans. Here's an interesting article: https://www.steirische-spezialitaeten.a ... bohne.html (My computer has been asked to translate to English so often that it does it automatically, so I don't know if this is in German.) And another: https://soupscoop.wordpress.com/2012/01 ... etle-bean/
They were also very popular in Vienna, where I used them in a clean out the fridge soup shortly before we left. Practically fly off the grocery shelf there. Unfortunately, due to weight restrictions by the airlines (and maybe some agricultural restrictions as well), buying some dried ones to bring home wasn't an option. Drat! Anyways............ I looked at Whole Foods in two locations, but they no longer carry anything unique. I checked Bob's Red Mill online, no luck there. I am at a loss as to other online ordering options. Amazon's prices were painful. Help?! Finding a source that also carries Anasazi beans would be a plus, as I'm looking forward to three sisters chili in the fall. Thanks all. Or maybe I should say Danke!