Content
Beans are a crop of the legume family. It is believed that Columbus, like many other plants, brought it to Europe, and the homeland of beans is America. Today, this type of legume is very popular, because in terms of the content of amino acids, vitamins and microelements, and in its composition, beans are closer to meat than other crops.
There are many varieties of beans; this crop is divided according to several criteria:
- method of consumption (pods or seeds-beans);
- type of plant (bush and climbing varieties);
- method of cultivation (for open ground and for greenhouses);
- taste characteristics;
- color and shape of fruits/pods.
You can learn how to choose the best varieties of beans for your plot in this article.
Types of bean bushes
According to the appearance and shape of the bush, the crop is divided into:
- bush;
- curly;
- semi-curly.
Bush beans - a low-growing subspecies with compact bushes, the height of which reaches 40-60 cm. These are the plants that are grown in farm fields and used for industrial purposes. The plants are unpretentious and cold-resistant; bush beans can withstand even the harsh Siberian climate. The bushes begin to bear fruit early, yielding the entire harvest.
Climbing species They are climbing vines that can reach five meters in length. This variety has a longer growing season, so in cold Siberia it is better not to grow these varieties of beans in open ground - the seeds simply do not have time to ripen. But climbing varieties significantly save space on the site - you can get a decent harvest from one meter of land. In addition, climbing vines become an excellent decoration for home and garden areas.
Vegetable and grain beans
Another characteristic of a legume crop depends on the form in which the plant is used for food. If you eat only seeds - beans, this is a grain variety or shelled. When the entire pod is eaten, this variety is called asparagus or vegetable.
Vegetable varieties of beans also called sugar, they can be eaten whole, due to the fact that the pod valves are not covered with a hard waxy coating either in a mature or in a “young” state. The entire pod with the peas inside remains soft and tender. These beans are suitable for freezing, preparing various dishes, and also for canning.
Peeling varieties it is necessary to shell, removing mature beans. The pods of such a crop are unsuitable for food - they are too hard and tasteless. But the beans are distinguished by their excellent taste, interesting appearance and special nutritional value.
There are also semi-sugar varieties, which in their immature form have the properties of green beans, and after full ripening they can be classified as shelling beans. The pod of this variety is tender and juicy until the seeds inside are ripe.However, after the beans ripen, the seed pod becomes covered with a hard waxy layer and becomes very tough.
Types of beans
Beans are also classified according to their appearance, taste, and nutritional properties. Taking these factors into account, the following groups of legumes can be distinguished:
- Navy – small white beans. The seeds of this species look like peas, they are just as small and round. Navy is a record holder for fiber content and also contains vitamins A, B, PP, C, K, and E.
- Lima – white or green butter beans. The shape of the beans is slightly flattened, the size is large. The variety is very beneficial for blood vessels and the heart.
- Kidney – red beans, the seeds of which are shaped like a kidney. The color of these beans is red, purple.
- Black beans It has a dark skin and a snow-white interior. The peas are small and round. After cooking, these beans lose their shape. Black beans contain the maximum amount of protein and prevent the formation of malignant tumors.
- Green beans – tolerates freezing well, retaining all nutrients and vitamins. The pods can be of different shades: green, purple, yellow, beige. These varieties contain a large amount of vitamins, but the pods contain less protein than beans.
- Pinto – spotted variety, white base with reddish spots. The variegated color of the beans becomes uniform after the beans are cooked. Contains a lot of iron, so it is recommended for anemia and diseases of the heart and immune system.
- Flajoleis - used unripe. The beans are green in color and taste similar to green beans.
- Chali – large white beans. They contain a lot of calcium and potassium and have antimicrobial and wound-healing effects.
- Vigna more often called "Black Eye". These are white beans with a black “eye” on the side. The skin of these varieties is thinner, so you will have to cook the beans less (about 40 minutes without soaking).
- Fava can be used both in the form of pods and in the form of mature beans. The seeds are large, slightly flattened, and brownish-brown in color.
The listed varieties are most often used in European dishes. For Asian and Indian cuisine, there are also many varieties of beans with a specific aroma and taste (from sweet to spicy, herbaceous).
Bean varieties with descriptions and photos
About 50 of the currently known varieties of beans can be grown in Russia. All of them have their own characteristics and advantages; the most popular ones will be discussed below.
Bush asparagus varieties
Growing green beans is still a curiosity for Russia. Here, green seed pods containing beans began to be used for food not so long ago. However, local gardeners already have their own favorite asparagus varieties:
- "Saksa" It is considered an early ripening variety; the pods can be eaten as early as 50 days after planting the seeds in the ground. The length of the pods reaches 12 cm; inside they contain pink beans. The bushes grow compact, their height does not exceed 40 cm.
- "Butter King" also ripens relatively early - 50 days after planting the seeds. The pods are larger and longer - about 25 cm, colored yellow. This variety of beans is intended for canning and cooking.
- "Purple Queen" differs in average terms of ripening. It can be grown on absolutely any soil, as it is a very unpretentious plant.The 15-centimeter pods are painted in a beautiful purple hue; the variety is intended for canning.
- "Panther" has an average ripening period. It has yellow pods and is intended for cooking and canning.
Climbing sugar varieties
Long vines shade the area well and can be grown not only in greenhouses and garden beds. They can be used to decorate gazebos, verandas, fences and fences.
In addition to beautiful large leaves and bright pods, beans are also distinguished by decorative flowering in white, pink, lilac and other shades.
Among the climbing legume varieties suitable for the Russian climate, the following can be noted:
- "Melody" is a legume crop with early ripening (50-60 days after planting the seeds in the ground). The length of the pods is average - about 13-15 cm.
- "Golden Nectar" amazes with its amazing bright yellow pods, the length of which often exceeds 25 cm. The beans are mid-season, the beans ripen by the 70th day after sowing the seeds.
- "Winner" is one of the most decorative, but at the same time edible, variety of beans. During the flowering period, the bushes are decorated with bright red flowers, and the legume bears fruit with long green pods, slightly flattened in shape. The ripening period for beans is about three months.
Semi-sugar bean varieties
These beans can be eaten either in pods or shelled. The main thing is not to waste time and harvest before it is overripe. Some of these varieties include:
- "Give me a sec", which bears fruit early with yellow pods. Their length does not exceed 12 cm.
- "Welt" produces pods of a green hue, about 13 cm long. These beans are excellent for canning and cooking.
Peeling varieties
These beans cannot be eaten in their pods; they are only tasty when ripe. Unlike asparagus varieties, shelled fruits are perfectly stored without pre-processing. These beans accumulate the maximum amount of useful minerals and vitamins.
Some of the best varieties include:
- "Gribovskaya" The beans ripen within three months, have medium pods (about 15 cm) and white beans.
- "Chocolate Girl" affects brown beans. This variety is very heat tolerant, so it is recommended to grow this crop in the south of the country.
- "Martin" are snow-white beans decorated with purple spots, the shape of which resembles a swallow.
- "Ruby" produces dark cherry colored beans. Such fruits will decorate any dish.
How to cook beans
Beans are quite difficult to cook correctly, and all because the beans have a very thick skin.
If it is enough to boil legume varieties for just a few minutes, then shelled beans require more complex and lengthy processing:
- First, the fruits need to be soaked in cold water. They do this for about 6-12 hours (depending on the variety).
- The water after soaking is drained and replaced with fresh water.
- The beans are cooked in this water until tender, about 1.5-2 hours.
- There is no need to stir the beans while they are cooking.
- To prevent the beans from darkening during cooking, the container with them does not need to be covered with a lid.
- The beans must be salted at the end of cooking.
Growing legumes is accompanied by the release of nitrogen into the soil.Therefore, the crop does not make the soil “poor”, like most other vegetables, but, on the contrary, enriches it with nitrogen and other useful substances.
Growing beans in your own garden is not at all difficult - it is an extremely unpretentious crop. It is much more difficult to properly cook harvested beans. It is especially important to cook the beans until they are fully cooked, because in their raw form they are not only not healthy, but also poisonous. Photos and recommendations from our article will help you choose a variety.
