Though commonly referred to as adzuki beans these are a member of the vigna genus, so more closely related to peas (vigna is derived from vinea, or vine in latin) which speaks to their tendancy, like with other peas, to send out tendrils from their semi-bush habit. These hail from Eastern Asia, and Japan in particular. Redskinned adzuki are the most common, but there are also white, black, grey and mottled cultivars.
 
We sourced these adzuki beans from Ferris Organic Farm in Eaton Rapids MI, a beautiful, diversified family farm that also happen to be the first certified organic bean and grain cleaning facility in the Midwest back in the 1970’s.
 
I’ve grown adzukis in the past with the explicit intention of making a fully Vermont-grown miso. I did make some small batches from that harvest, but the folks at Rhapsody Natural Foods and South River Miso do such a good job with their misos, that there is little point in us exploring commercial miso production. Making miso at home though is a fun and magical process, and is what I’m hoping you’ll be inspired to do with these adzukis!
 
There is a significant amount of content online about how to make your own miso. If you would like to go this route, I recommend ordering some koji from Rhapsody Natural Foods in Cabot VT. They include miso recipes with every shipment. Just sub in adzuki beans 1:1 for soy beans. Here's a how-to video.