Lima Beans

I'm one of those odd people who loves lima beans. They were one of my favorite foods when I was a kid. This year I decided to try growing them. I chose two varieties; a bush one named Fordhook that I picked up at my local farm supply, Griff's, and a vining one called Violet's Multicolored Butterbean that I procured from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. 

I harvested the remnants in my garden this past weekend: limas, peanuts, a few stray tomatoes and peppers, and lots of basil. As I set about shelling the limas, I decided to look for a new recipe. I found several that looked delicious here, and decided to try this one- Baked Large Limas with Spinach and Feta- until I discovered I didn't have enough spinach. Oh well, maybe next time. So I went with the old standby- salt and a little butter. Your really can't beat them that way- especially when they're fresh!  If the pods are still green, you can cook the beans as fresh (much faster cook time, fresher taste). Or you can leave the pods on the plant to dry naturally. Then you have ready to store dried beans. The bush limas weren't as productive as the climbing ones. The green ones are the bush variety, the remainder are the climbing variety. Aren't they beautiful?

The bowl of shelled limas

This took me an hour

closeup of the beautiful beans

 

The dried pods. Those that were solid tan had good beans. They were the
climbing variety. The black spotted ones were rotten- the bush variety.
Lesson here? Grow climbing limas.

My finished jar of dried beans. Aren't they pretty?