A few years ago, I learned about one of the best inventions ever made – a blender bike. Is it practical? Hmm… arguably, no. BUT. They are so much fun and allow you to feel like you are exercising while cooking, which is just brilliant. Ideally, we shouldn’t feel guilty for eating anyway, but the reality is sometimes we do. The blender bike can solve that problem. More importantly, though, it is a wonderful outreach tool to get folks excited about beans!
The first time I “met” a blender bike was a few years ago at the Larimer County Farmers’ Market. One lovely Saturday, my professor Dr. Henry Thompson and his wife, Jackie Thompson, joined me and we whipped up delicious, simple bean dip to enjoy with local vegetables.
We recruited marketgoers to hop on the bike and help us puree the dip. It was not hard to get their attention because who wouldn’t want to make bean dip on a blender bike?! That is not an opportunity that comes along every day, and people didn’t want to miss their chance.
Another Blender Bike, Another Chance to Make Bean Dip
Flash forward to April 2022, when I had the pleasure of attending the Spring Science Extravaganza at Colorado State University to talk beans with the public (aka to do my favorite thing in the world). Before we could chat about pintos, Mayocobas, and other delightful Colorado beans though, we had to get the blender bike across campus to our station. How do you move a blender bike, you ask? You hitch it up to another bike and bike it across the university, that’s how. And let me tell you, it is an absolute blast! Plus, there is the added benefit of watching passerby stop and stare (with jealousy, obviously). Check out how cool I look here.
I wrote about the wonderful recent adventures with the blender bike on the Colorado Dry Beans website, so rather than rewriting it here, head on over to that post! But before you go, here is an extra photo for you to enjoy. Because why not share that I was so excited by the cross campus biking of the blender bike that I look slightly crazed?
Bean Dip Ideas
While we’re on the topic of bean dips (I know, nice segue, right?)… why not check out some dip recipes for inspiration?
