"See that woman over there? The one who's pulling out her hair? She's not pregnant as she seems. She's just full of them good ole butter beans."
Ah, yes, butter beans. Thank goodness someone had the vision to bring the lima bean to America. Limas had an Andean and Mesoamerican origin. When the Spanish ruled the area known as Peru the beans were shipped out of containers with the city of Lima's name stamped on the crates. This is how they got the name "lima," although pronounced differently than the city name.
Nutritionally speaking, lima beans are very good for you. Just one cup of lima beans will supply the following DV nutrients: Molybdenum: 313 percent, fiber: 53 percent, copper: 49 percent, manganese: 49 percent, folate: 39 percent, phosphorus: 30 percent, protein: 29 percent, potassium: 27 percent, vitamin B1: 25 percent, iron: 25 percent, magnesium: 20 percent, vitamin B6: 18 percent. That's impressive! Those figures are from the World's Healthiest Foods website (whfoods.com). Limas are also good for lowering cholesterol with their fiber and resistant starch content.
We grew up eating a lot of lima beans. Eaten fresh, we usually called them "limas," while eaten dried we called them "butter beans," but these terms are often used interchangeably. Butter beans get their name from their buttery texture.
As a kid, I hated fresh limas. I would actually gag if I put one in my mouth. My mom made a sort of southern soup with limas, cowpeas, corn, okra, tomatoes and potatoes. I could just barely tolerate limas in my soup. And you could forget about me eating any by themselves.
Well, seasons change and so did I. I now enjoy eating fresh baby limas with fried okra, tomatoes and cowpeas. And we eat Southern soup all the time. Of course, I have always loved dried butter beans. They are so good with corn bread, pepper sauce and fresh onions. My mother always put a little baking soda in with the beans to lessen the gas-producing effects of the starches. I think it had more of a psychological effect than anything else.
The lima beans in our garden have been producing well. I went out this morning, picked the beans and then sat down to shell them. I thoroughly enjoy shelling lima beans. Once I'm done with the shelling, Linda blanches the beans and puts them in the freezer. We already have enough beans to last us awhile, but I will let the plants produce what they will before pulling the vines.
I planted these lima beans back in the third week of June. It seemed like it was taking forever for them to bloom and begin producing. In reality, it wasn't all that long. When we got back from Colorado, the beans were ready to be picked and I have been picking them every other day or so since then. As I pick the beans, occasionally I find a bean that has been eaten on by a grasshopper. I can tolerate some of this since there are many more beans than we can eat or care to put up, for that matter. I am kind of surprised to see so little damage, considering the numbers of grasshoppers I see in the garden.
Lima beans are a warm-season crop, so wait to plant seed until all danger of frost is past. The soil temperature needs to be 62 degrees or higher. For northern Arkansas, this is usually sometime in early May. If planting bush limas, plant seed approximately 1 to 1 ½ inches deep and, if planting in rows, plant rows 18 to 20 inches apart. If planting pole limas, keep your rows anywhere from 30 to 36 inches apart, although it works well to plant a double row along a fence.
With bush bean varieties, you can keep planting seed every two weeks in order to have a continuous supply of beans. They will furnish two or three good pickings before they die. Of course, pole beans will continue to produce all summer and on into fall until the first frost. Lima beans are self-pollinating, so you can save seed to replant the following year. Lima bean seeds do not need to be soaked before planting since they shatter easily.
There are a number of bush and pole bean varieties that do well in northwest Arkansas. We prefer to grow Henderson Bush beans. Fordhook 242 Bush is another good bush variety, as is the Jackson Wonder Bush. On the pole bean side, there is the speckled Christmas Pole bean that is red and white until cooked. And there is also the Florida Speckled Pole bean.
These pole bean varieties are prolific producers and will keep producing until the first frost. They will need a fence or cattle panel to grow on. I have had pole limas that grew up one side of a fence and down the other. It works well to plant a row on each side of a cattle panel and let them grow up and over. You will most likely get all the beans you want even on a short row.
When cooking dried butter beans, I like to soak the beans overnight in plenty of water. You might have to add more water at some point. The beans will swell to twice their dried size, or more, as they absorb moisture. Next morning, pour off any excess water and replace with fresh water prior to cooking. Simmer beans on low heat until they are tender. Cook slowly. Take your time; you are more likely to get a harmonious outcome. Butter beans are good cooked alone but are great with ham hocks or salt pork.
Sit down with family and friends to a plate of fresh, hot corn bread, flavorful butter beans, hot pepper sauce and fresh onions. Then top it off with a nice glass of iced tea or, better yet, coffee and pecan pie. Now that is summer living at its simplest and best. Happy gardening!
Sam Byrnes is a Gentry-area resident and longtime gardener. He may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 09/09/2015