photos by Stephen Eginoire

Southwest Colorado: A great place to grow beans. Dry, hot weather with minimal rainfall means certain doom for most crops, but not for these deeply rooted legumes. Able to withstand extreme desert conditions, folks have been growing and loving their high country desert beans for ages. Heres an early season glimpse into the nearby Pinto Bean Capitol of the World.

A retired truck sits just outside of Dove Creek. A retired bean field heads toward a suburban fate. An old farm relic rusts near the verdant fields of Pleasant View. Bean bags hang on a wall at the Ruins of America antique store in Pleasant View, Colorado. A local favorite: the Anasazi bean.