Meet the vendor: The Bean Patch

Meet the vendor: The Bean Patch
Posted on 06/17/2020
Mary and Morgan Bean selling and canning jamMary and Morgan Bean both grew up in families that preserved food through canning. All of their grandparents canned, mostly out of necessity to preserve the harvest in tough times. When Mary and Morgan got married, they started a small garden and began canning for themselves. Soon, they teamed up with a friend to grow produce for farmers markets and sell canned goods. The produce was slower selling, but their jams took off.

Today, Mary and Morgan operate The Bean Patch in Leavenworth, Kansas, and make a wide variety of small-batch jams, jellies, preserves, marmalades, butters and chutneys. Following the motto “Think Outside the Jar,” this duo delights in crafting unique flavors in addition to traditional favorites. Current flavors include Rhubarb Blue, Pineapple Blast, Tomato Basil, Raspberry Truffle, Lemon Drop, MacDonald's Marmalade, Hibiscus Jelly and Fig Preserve.

One of their specialties is fruit and chile combination jams. They have always grown peppers, and Morgan is a self-proclaimed chilehead. They got into adding chiles to their jam after eating jalapeño poppers served with jalapeño jelly at a local restaurant and thought “We can do that.” They went home, pulled out the Ball canning cookbook and began to experiment with chile peppers.

Their products can be used as they are or added to yogurts, iced tea and cocktails. You are only limited by your imagination. The Bean Patch also offers a line of rub mixes for grilling and baking. 

Visit Mary and Morgan at The Bean Patch vendor booth on Tuesdays at the Lenexa Farmers Market.



Published June 17, 2020