In the first quarter of the 20th century, the Salinas Valley was known for its King City Pinks. No, not a roller derby team, although it would be a catchy name. King City Pinks are small oval-shaped beans that, when cooked, have a rich meaty flavor. This is a uniquely California bean, similar to pinto beans but just a bit smaller. They are heavily used in soup and barbecue recipes.
Pinks came on to the ag scene during World War I. Bean of different varieties were farmed in Monterey County beginning in the 19th century. Demand for this type of staple increased during the war years. Farmers received premium prices for growing Pinks. At the peak of production in the 1930s, more than 11,000 acres of Pinks were farmed in-and-around King City.
It all began in 1917. The Salinas Land Company and its subsidiary The California Orchard Company, and their tenant farmers, planted beans between the rows of maturing orchard trees, waiting for the trees to bear marketable fruit. One tenant, Arnold Frew, is credited with copyrighting the King City Pinks name. By 1923, California Orchard Company had interplanted thousands of acres, producing more than 2,000 pounds of Pinks and a profit of about $20,000. As the trees matured, interplanting waned. The crop went into a decline due to mosaic disease and the rise of row crop vegetable farming.