Back In Time With Beans
by SeedGal, seedgal.com — all rights reserved August 16, 2017
Within a naturally growing (wild) range, beans were identified as ‘cultivated’ 6,000 BC in Peru¹ and the Puebla region of Mexico. As cultures shared or moved west so did the bean. It took a longer span of time compared to other edibles for legumes status and market demand, to peak as a food staple worldwide. American Indians have cultivated beans for centuries, as evidence revealed cultivated beans from 300 BC, discovered in New Mexico. The faba bean in the early European diet became less desirable once the American Indian varieties became introduced. Scientists have confirmed faba beans were actually cultivated in Neolithic times with evidence found in Israel and the Alps.
Beans In Perspective
In Concord Massachusetts near Walden Pond, Henry David Thoreau pampered small white bush beans; fondly writing ‘What shall I learn of beans or beans of me? I cherish them...’ ² Sadly, beans in the old world, weren’t always admired. Egyptians priests frowned upon even touching beans. In ancient Greece, beans were used to exorcise ghosts from haunted houses. Germans especially thought those who ate beans were stupid. One Roman ruler banned his people from eating beans. Beans had a special place for funerals, tombs, and rituals; in Greece a type of ‘beanfeast’ actually followed funerals. On a happier note (or toot) the Celtics held beanfeasts to celebrate fairies. Despite these narratives, most Europeans consumed beans as a common meal, and their demand for other varieties grew.
Beyond Beans
It appears Asia was late to the bean party; Asia didn’t used a variety of beans as a food source early on compared to other continents. China grew soybeans about 1100 BC, however other types of beans came much later. For the use of soybeans, in the 17th century the original recipe for Kikkoman Soy Sauce was developed and brewed by a woman in Noda, Japan and soy sauce is now popular worldwide. In 1829 U.S. farmers started growing soybeans, the prominent American chemist and botanist, George Washington Carver discovered the amazing protein value soybeans have (year 1904).³
Carver taught the benefits of crop rotation with soybeans for improving the quality of soil and became a leader in early American agriculture. Today, for example, farmers producing hay in the state of Washington are growing beans as a rotation crop to replenish soil exhausted by hay production. The bean plant roots extend beyond the first layer of soil and help loosen the earth promoting better water penetration for future hay crops. All legume family members like beans are nitrogen fixing; providing nitrogen back to the soil for hay or other food crops to grown.
Today’s Beans, Where Do They Come From?
The major type of gardening beans we enjoy today come in many varieties; however these originate from the Americas: Lima bean, snap bean, scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus lunatus, Phaseolus vulgaris, and Phaseolus coccineus). Original forms of the lima and snap grow wild throughout Argentina and Mexico. The scarlet runner is found wild in mountain areas of Guatemala and South America. Spanish conquistadors in their notorious
travels snatched booty and beans from the Americas, then introduced beans to Europe. Meanwhile, Spanish colonists brought over European native faba beans (vicia faba) to America.⁴
The types of beans we grow in our gardens and see in grocery stores are variations of just a few types of plants! These cultivars became marketed in the 18th century. Gardening is exciting with types of tasty heirloom beans mixed in for visual appeal. Add beautiful edibles to your vegetable containers with the Louisiana Purple Pod Pole Snap, or northern favorites like the ‘Red Cranberry’ pole beans. For small pots grow delightful Hestia.
Garden Beans, Kentucky Blue Pole
Start pole beans outside, create small mounding rows in your vegetable patch; when sowing seeds always place each bean on their side and press into the dirt; the beans need to be covered with about 1 inch of soil and keep soil consistently moist for proper germination in temperatures of 65 degrees or above. Developed from the best Kentucky Wonder and Blue Lake beans this variety (shown below) takes 60 days to mature, pods grow abundantly and can grow favorably in cool climates.
Pole beans are space savers, growing vertically along a fence, use bamboo poles, let them scramble up tall sunflowers for fun. Harvesting the beans slightly earlier will promote the plant’s production and the beans will generally remain stringless and tender. Don’t apply any fertilizer until the plant is over 3 feet. As the stock grows taller, consider an inch of mulch at the base to retain moisture. An excellent performer for container gardeners and interestingly, pole beans self-pollinate.
Snap Beans Nutrition: Snap beans offer 2.35 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, good trace amounts of K, B, folate, and lutein. See a comprehensive list of nutrients, visit USDA.
1) Storl, Wolf D. A Curious History of Vegetables. North Atlantic Books, 2016.
2) Laws, Bill. Spade, Skirret and Parsnip The Curious History of Vegetables. Sutton Publishing Limited, 2004.
3) North Carolina Soybean Producers Association http://ncsoy.org/media-resources/history-of-soybeans/
4) Roberts, Jonathan. Cabbage & Kings: The Origins Of Fruit & Vegetables. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 2001.
