Choosing beans for your garden

Beans of different varieties

Beans have come to our world from time immemorial. Among the world famous plant products, legumes are the main ones in human nutrition. In terms of the amount of legumes consumed, they are on a par with cereals and potatoes... The homeland of beans is the American continent, where they still grow in the wild. Beans, corn, and pumpkin were the staple food there.

The history of the emergence of beans in Europe

Beans as an ornamental plant

They say that Columbus discovered America, but for the white continent it is also important that among the many exotic plants overseas, beans were brought here, open to Europe. This plant, despite the pioneer evidence of its nutritional value, was allowed to be used for decorative purposes only.

Therefore, at first, the guest was used to create gardens, then for cosmetic purposes, making masks and lapping from beans. Russia received curly decorative lianas in the 18th century, and it was used for food purposes much later.

Asian beans were known in Egypt and China up to our times and were a valuable dish for the nobility. It turned out that even ornamental beans are good for consumption. Therefore, the division of varieties is conditional, they are all food. In nature, there are several thousand varieties of this plant. Specially obtained as a result of breeding varieties with improved performance of about 500. They differ in many ways, some varieties are described in the article and their photos are presented.

Lima beans

Lima beansThis type of legume got its name from the area where the variety was classified, Lima. Another name is moon beans or butter beans, so named for their pleasant taste. Lima beans have two plant forms - large and small. The beans come in a variety of colors from white to nearly black with a patterned or solid surface. Useful properties, the food value of this variety of beans - in supplying the body with protein food, as a preventive measure against intestinal cancer.

Lima beansThe product is useful for its high iron content, which promotes blood formation. Folate improves heart function, while magnesium stimulates and restores the circulatory system.

Folate and thiamine in lima beans, when consumed regularly, can lower blood cholesterol levels to normal.

Green beans purple

Green beans purpleThis same variety of beans is called Georgian or known as the Draconic tongue. A feature of the variety is the color of the pods. She can be variegated, with a yellow sheen on the purple body. Liana grows up to 3.5 m, and in green hedge very effective. Purple green beans turn bright green as soon as they are dipped in boiling water. The length of the pods is about 15 cm. The heat-loving culture of medium ripening loves loamy and sandy loam fertile soil. Mature seeds are light brown. The plant can be used at the stage of the blade and as a grain crop. The pod leaves do not have a parchment layer.

Kenyan beans

Kenyan beansThe presented type of green beans differs from the popular varieties in its appearance and size. Native to Africa, these beans are dark green in color and have very thin long pods. The pod is about half a centimeter in diameter, and has a very delicate taste. It is enough to hold the pods of Kenyan beans in boiling water for 4-5 minutes, and they can be used for food.To preserve the bright greenness of the valves, they are dipped in ice water after heat treatment. Salads are prepared with this product of a sweetish aftertaste and nutty aftertaste, served as an independent side dish for meat dishes. The beneficial properties of Kenyan beans are further enhanced by the short cooking time. All vitamins and antioxidants are preserved. It is the most expensive of all green beans.

Ornamental beans

Ornamental beansAll curly beans can be used for hedging and small architectural forms. However, breeders create new varieties that, due to more decorative flowers, branching, multi-colored pods, create beautiful green fences, and then give the harvest for food.

Fiery red ornamental beansThe decorative beans in the photo include Mexican beans, Dolichos decorative beans, fiery red beans growing up to 4 m in height. Mexican red beans can grow up to 4 meters and have pink pods that can be eaten raw while they are very young. Later on these vines multi-colored seeds ripen. However, more often in the designs of estates, you can see curly fiery red beans.

Beans mung

Mash (mung bean, dhal, golden beans) (Vigna radiata, Phaseolus aureus)An Indian bean variety with small grains, which differs from classic beans in their oval shape. At present, according to the classification, the mung bean species has been transferred to the genus Vigna.. This type of legume can be found under the name mung beans or golden beans.

In India, they use peeled mung bean, called dhal, and are used in traditional cuisine and in dishes that have a sacred meaning.

Bean sprouts are used for cooking.Sprouted mung beans have recently become a famous dish in Europe. Bean sprouts are eaten without heat treatment as an addition to complex salads or separately. They sprout mung bean after thorough disinfection so that using a useful product does not get E. coli.

Green beans

Green beansYellow and green green beans are not much different. The set of useful components and processing methods are similar. Only a slightly higher amount of provitamin A produces a yellow pod coloration. Yellow green beans are used in dietary schemes, as they contain vitamins and organic substances in an easily digestible form. The heat treatment of the product is gentle, only a few minutes, so the useful composition is little destroyed. For those who, due to failing health, cannot eat meals made from grain beans, they can include green beans in their diet. The product is low-calorie, only 24 kcal per 100 g allows the use of green beans for weight loss.

At first, ordinary young beans were used as a legume, and only later the French bred a separate type of beans that did not have a wax plate in the pod leaves. She was named asparagus or French beans.

Yellow green beans, unlike other types, are called butter beans, because they melt in the mouth, so tender. There is also yellow wax beans, which differ from the green beans in larger pods, which may even be purple in color, but the beans in them are yellow, and after heat treatment the pod also turns yellow.

Beans black eye

Beans black eyeThe genus of white beans with a bright spot of black color is one of the main types of beans for the inhabitants of Africa, Iran and the southern regions of America. Medium-sized beans are tasty and are considered a variety of cowpea. They are cooked with preliminary soaking, but they are boiled for a relatively short time, about an hour. This is due to the bean's thin shell.

New Year's Dish Jumping JohnThe strong aroma of vegetables emanating from the dish and the fading dots make the grains recognizable even in the finished dish. This is the most tender bean of all grains. Used in a traditional American New Year dish called Jumping John.

The article lists a small part of the varieties, but knowing the benefits of eating beans, everyone can find a species that meets individual needs.

How to plant beans - video

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