Types of beans
This genus of Legumes includes about 100 species. The most famous among them are the common bean, multifloral bean, holly bean and moon bean. There are also inedible types of beans, for example, some varieties of decorative climbing beans.
Common beans
This type of bean is especially common; it includes many varieties that differ in the shape and color of leaves, flowers and fruits. Common beans are widely cultivated in different countries and their seeds are actively consumed, and in some cases, the pods of the plant (as, for example, green beans).
Turkish beans
They are also called multifloral bean and fire bean. This plant of South American origin is grown as an ornamental in some countries.
Green beans
Another name is Tepari. It is distinguished by higher drought resistance compared to regular beans, but is inferior to it in terms of protein and fat content. It is distributed wildly in the United States and northern Mexico.
Moon beans
This type of bean comes from Peru and gets its name due to the spherical shape of the seeds, which resemble the Moon in appearance. The beans of this plant are distinguished by a thick parchment layer. Another name is lima beans.
Decorative beans
Summer residents like to decorate their gardens with some varieties of edible beans because of their attractiveness. These species, in particular, include the multifloral bean due to the contrast of its bright red flowers with emerald-colored leaves. Also, a decorative function is assigned to some beautifully flowering varieties of beans - Mammoth, French, Golden Nectar, Melodiya, Pobeditel, as well as two-color and purple beans.
According to the observations of experienced gardeners, decorative beans planted between beds of vegetables protect them from late blight and help to significantly increase the yield. The reason is that the roots of ornamental beans accumulate nitrogen, which then saturates the soil.
Bean varieties
Each type of bean also has several varieties and varieties. So, for example, by color, beans are divided into white, yellow, red and purple, and by method of consumption - into grain or shelled, vegetable (asparagus or sugar) and semi-sugar. Based on the structure of the bush, bush beans are classified as bush beans, semi-climbing beans, and climbing beans. The species listed above are also divided into many varieties, depending on appearance and nutritional value.
Among the most productive, early-ripening varieties, experts highlight Primel, Marona, Hit, Vesuvio and Maxion faden - varieties of vegetable beans and varieties of grain beans such as Violet, White-Brown and Nerussa.
In terms of early maturity, bean varieties are early (the growing season is three months) - Golden Nectar, Oil King, Nagano, Flat Long, Gardener, Saksa 615, mid-ripening - Moscow white green-beaned 556, Winner, Pink, Fatima, Violet and late (the growing season is up to 110 days) – Gama, Dita, Kentucky Beauty, Tara.
Sometimes other types of plants of the legume family are mistakenly classified as bean varieties: cowpeas, fava beans, or favas, dolichos.
Contraindications for use
The list of contraindications to eating beans is small. People who suffer from high acidity, colitis or have ulcerative lesions should refrain from eating beans.
Like most legumes, beans cause flatulence. But you can fight this. It is recommended to soak the beans for several hours before cooking in water and soda. By the way, white beans are a little softer in this regard than red beans.
That, in fact, is all the restrictions for this product.
Recipes for healthy eating
Recipe for lentil soup with paprika
- 1.6 g Protein
- 0.9 g Fat
- 4.6 g Carbohydrates
- 32.5 kcal
35-40 min.
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- #olive oil
- #parsley
- #tomato
- #vegetable oil
- #onion
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Other recipes
How to plant beans and grow them?
In order to get a good harvest of beans, you need to follow certain rules regarding sowing beans and caring for them.
Planting beans
Traditionally, beans are usually grown in open ground, but those who want to harvest an early harvest of this crop can grow seedlings in pots and then plant them in a greenhouse. This method is especially suitable for growing climbing beans.
Before planting beans, you must select and prepare the seeds. Beans should be chosen to be healthy - dry, not wrinkled, not rotten or damaged. Since beans are a heat-loving plant, before planting it is advisable to keep them in a room with a temperature of about 30°C for two days. Then, to speed up germination, it is recommended to soak the seeds in water and leave for a day, and five minutes before planting, place them in a boric acid solution for subsequent protection from pests.
When soaking beans a day before planting, you need to provide them with such a volume of water that it barely covers the seeds: this will ensure the supply of oxygen. It is advisable to change the water several times during the day.
When choosing a place to sow beans, remember that they do not like clayey, saline and acidic soil. The soil needs to be dug up and pre-fertilized with a mixture of 1/2 tbsp. potassium salt and 1 tbsp. superphosphate and ammonium nitrate per 1 sq.m. When planting decorative beans, humus is also added at the rate of 4 kg/1 sq.m. If necessary, the soil must be moistened before sowing.
The optimal soil temperature when planting beans is 10-12°C. Sowing depth is 3-5 cm, if the soil is dry - up to 7 cm. Beans are planted in rows. The distance between them should not exceed 60 cm, and between neighboring plants should not be more than 25 cm. To preserve moisture and accelerate seed germination, immediately after sowing, thoroughly compact the soil using a smooth garden roller.
Experts recommend sowing beans while the dandelion is blooming.
Use in folk medicine
In folk medicine, the leaves and flowers of the common bean are used. The following recipes exist:
Water infusion for diabetes, gout, hypertension, heart weakness
To reduce blood sugar levels, you need to take an infusion prepared as follows: pour half a liter of boiling water over a tablespoon of pre-crushed dried kidney beans, let it brew in a thermos for half an hour, then cool and strain through cheesecloth. The entire prepared solution must be consumed during the day, drinking half a glass before meals.
Bean flour for skin rashes, weeping eczema, for the treatment of wounds and burns
Crush the bean seeds into flour, then sprinkle it on wounds, burns and diseased areas of the skin.
Tea made from bean leaves for urolithiasis, urinary retention, edema, inflammatory diseases of the kidneys and bladder
Pour a heaped tablespoon with a quarter glass of cold water, bring the mixture to a boil and boil for a short time (from 3 to 5 minutes), then strain and drink. You need to drink this tea two to three times a day.
Decoction for rheumatoid arthritis
Pour boiling water over the bean shells in a ratio of 1:10, then boil the solution for 10 minutes over low heat. Strain the broth and let it cool at room temperature. Take half a glass three times a day 30 minutes before meals.
Bean puree for heart rhythm disturbances, atherosclerosis, and hypacidal gastritis
Soak the beans overnight. In the morning, fill it with water and let it boil, then drain the water and fill it again with cold water. Add a little salt and cook until fully cooked. Drain the water into a bowl and puree the beans, adding water little by little to achieve the desired consistency. Fry the finely chopped onion over low heat until it turns golden and mix it with the bean puree. Eat as a dietary dish.
Tea made from a mixture of herbs for the treatment of kidney stones
Mix the following ingredients: 3 parts bean leaves, 3 parts blackthorn, 3 parts blueberry leaves, 3 parts yarrow herb, 6 parts St. John's wort, 6 parts horsetail. Take a tablespoon of the resulting mixture and pour cold water over it, let it brew for six hours, then bring to a boil, then strain. Drink the resulting tea a glass twice a day in small sips.
Tea made from a mixture of herbs to cleanse the blood
Prepare the following mixture of herbs: 20 g of common bean leaves, 10 g of birch leaves, 5 g of horsetail herb, 5 g of yarrow herb, 5 g of peppermint. Pour two teaspoons of the resulting mixture into a quarter glass of cold water and bring to a boil. Let it brew for five minutes, then strain. Take a glass two to three times a day.
How to grow beans?
Caring for beans after seed germination is not much different from caring for other plants. The soil in which the plant is planted periodically needs loosening and weeding. Beans also need to be fed. To do this, during the period when the first leaf appears on the seedlings, superphosphate is used in the amount of 30-40 g per 1 sq.m., and during the formation of buds - 10-15 g per 1 square meter of potassium salt.
Before the buds form, the beans are watered once a week: watering should be plentiful, and rainwater or tap water that has settled for 24 hours should be used. When the first five leaves appear on the plant, stop watering before flowering begins, and then gradually increase the volume of water for irrigation.
The first loosening is shallow, it is carried out at the moment when the seedlings grow to 7 cm. The second time the soil is loosened two weeks after the first, combining this process with hilling. The same loosening with hilling is repeated before closing the rows.
Climbing beans also need supports. They should be up to one and a half meters high, with wire stretched over them. You need to attach the plant shoots to them using a rope.
Beans are harvested for fresh consumption as they ripen, and for storage as the pods turn yellow. When removed from beans, the pods should be firm and yellowed, and the beans in the pod should be smooth and have low moisture content. Only in this case the beans are considered ripe.
If you are going to treat yourself to bean dishes, it is recommended to first fill it with water and leave for 8-10 hours to swell and soften. This will speed up its preparation and reduce the content of oligosaccharides that complicate digestion.
Chemical composition
Beans have one of the richest compositions among vegetable crops. For people who have excluded meat from their diet, they will help compensate for the lack of protein. The vitamins and minerals that beans contain are absolutely necessary for the health and normal functioning of our body. Per 100 g of grains there are:
- proteins – up to 20% of the daily requirement;
- fiber – up to 15%;
- carbohydrates – up to 60%;
- B vitamins – up to 25%;
- vitamin E – up to 7%;
- vitamins PP, C, K – up to 3%;
- manganese – 32%;
- copper – 29%;
- iron – 21%;
- magnesium – 16%;
- phosphorus – 15%;
- zinc – 12%;
- calcium – 9%.
In addition, beans are rich in valuable essential amino acids - tryptophan, arginine, lysine, methionine and others. The calorie content of raw beans is about 300 kcal, boiled - on average no more than 140 kcal.
Diseases and pests of beans
Like many vegetable plants, beans are susceptible to diseases and pests. Which ones?
Anthracnose
Depressed spots with a pink coating appear on the seedlings. Leaf veins, stems, leaf blades and petioles become brown. Merging dark spots with a reddish-brown border appear on the bean valves, which prevent the formation of seeds. Treatment consists of spraying the plant with 1% Bordeaux mixture; prevention involves the mandatory application of the above fertilizers during sowing.
Bacteriosis
Bacterial leaf spot is the most common type of bean bacteriosis, practically indistinguishable from its other types. The disease affects the entire above-ground part of the plant and appears in the form of brown spots or stripes. Watery spots form on the beans, and the fruits stop growing. Compliance with all rules for sowing and caring for the plant, as well as choosing varieties resistant to bacteriosis, will help reduce the risk of disease. At the very beginning of the disease, beans can still be saved by also treating them with a solution of 1% Bordeaux mixture.
Viral mosaic
It comes in green and yellow. Spots of various shades of the corresponding color appear on bean leaves. Over time, the leaves turn pale, the plant develops poorly, it may begin to bush, and its productivity decreases. In addition to the already mentioned methods of treatment and prevention of anthracnose and bacteriosis, one more rule is typical for combating viral mosaic: do not plant beans next to perennial legumes. If the beans do get sick, all unhealthy plants should be destroyed along with the grains and the beans should not be planted in the same place for several years.
Sprout fly
Sprout fly, photo by Jarden Grant
It appears at the germination stage of beans, as well as other agricultural plants. Prefers to lay eggs directly in the soil, especially wet soil. Subsequently, the larvae of the germ fly penetrate into the seeds. It is possible to minimize the effect of the pest by stimulating rapid plant growth.
Cabbage cutworm and garden cutworm
These two butterflies belong to the Noctidae family. Being polyphagous pests, their caterpillars damage various crops - from tomatoes and cabbage to pome crops. Their preferences also include beans. In small gardens, it is recommended to collect caterpillars by hand, and agrotechnical control methods include cultivating row spacing and killing weeds.
Bean grain
Bean grain, photo Lillolollo
The parasite is especially fond of grain crops - for this reason it received such a name. In the case of beans, the female beetle lays eggs directly on the seeds, where the larvae subsequently bite into them, remaining inside throughout the entire development cycle. In order to protect the seeds from the pests of the bean weevil, during the ripening period of the beans it is necessary to treat the crops and warehouses with pesticides.
Experts call the most resistant to diseases and pests the selected varieties of vegetable beans - Hit, Ibiza, Peus, Polka, Vesuvio, Zolushka and the varieties of grain beans - White-brown, Bolshoy Zmey, Nerussa and Omskaya rannyaya.
We shared with you the secrets of growing beans. What kind of beans do you grow at your dacha, and how do you achieve high yields, write in the comments.
