Let's Do Lunch Community

Hi all, I am trying to get all my food in a row to start LDL.  However, I am confused about butter beans.  Here in Ontario Canada, I cannot find them, unless I am looking in the wrong place in the grocery store????  I googled them and it said they are lima beans?  Can someone help me as to what these beans are so I can buy them here?

Thanks for all everyone's words of wisdom.

Cheryl

Hi Cheryl,

I've been doing a bit of research on this as I know we have several LDL members who are not in the states.  This piqued my curiosity when I realized that "butter beans" seemed to be a US thing.  So here is what I have found out so far. 

Butter beans are just large or extra large lima beans.  Apparently the name "butter bean" orginated here in the southern US.    We're all about the butter down here!    Anyway, the larger lima beans that you want are the ones that are almost white when dried and large.  When soaked and cooked they have a tan color to them and are pretty mushy.  The little green lima beans will give you a totally different taste and texture. 

Hope this helps hon. 

(In Faith)  LP

Thank you so much for your answers.  I did find them in cans, labelled lima beans but they are huge and not green.

It is wonderful to have this support.

Cheryl

Great question! I have been searching up and down the isles everywhere and couldn't find them labled as 'butter beans' it has been driving me BATTY! 

WOohoo now I can try some recipes out!

THANK YOU!!!!

LP you hit the nail on the head with your discription of butter beans.

Martha

uh oh, I bought the smaller lima beans... Will that pose a problem? AHh!

I would say they are more white than tan - but more like an off-white color

heretotheend wrote:LP you hit the nail on the head with your discription of butter beans.

Martha

Well Martha to be honest I was totally surprised when I started doing research.    I grew up in the south and I've known nothing but "butter beans" all my life.  As is usually the case here on LDL, when I go to find an answer for someone else I'm the one who usually ends up learning something.  I didn't know that the name "butter bean" was a southern thing until I did the research.  I think it's funny how we all grow up in a certain area, and some of us, like myself, never lived anywhere else.  We just assume the rest of the world is like it is for us.  I'm finding out it's not. 

Raffi I say give them a try and let us know.  What part of the world are you in hon? 


(In Faith)  LP

Ok, so they're more white - VERY pale yellow now that they've been soaking over night hehe..

Going to use them all for chick pea soup and mashed potatos..sure hope I did't goof up too badly on the beans - they ARE Lima beans but just smaller...

As for the infamous potato recipe, do they really just go in the microwave until the willow run is melted? My concern is that these little guys are still relatively hard and I wonder if I should boil them first?? Will the 'skin' on the beans become soft too? (I really know nothing about cooking beans from scratch haha).. 

And how right you are when it comes to us just assuming that elsewhere foods, or other topics are referred to as one and the same! I wish this was the case!



Edmonton, Alberta, Canada here  

I am with you RR!  I know nothing about cooking beans from scratch. It is a food group I didn;t touch until LDL. I am using canned Butter beans. I rinse them really well and then heat them up in a Low Sod chicken broth. When they soften a little I use the mixer on them with ICBINB. They are yummy! 

Let us know how you make out with the fresh ones. I don't have a lot of time to cook.

Julie 

Well, I made a load of beans, first lesson - they increase in size when put into water! So I had a lot of leftover beanery

Second, I think the smaller the bean the more concentrated the 'beany' taste may be - and let me tell you, the pea soup was perfect until I added the bean which introduced a hug eload of beany flavour (which aparantly, my tastebuds didn't take too kindly to), same could be said with the mashed potatos.. BUT I will try this again - I don't have canned in my grocery stores but I will certainly try this again with the proper sized big lima bean!!! Then that way I will know if I am totally insane or not or if I actually dont like a type of bean... I really think it was just the size of the bean that messed up the taste?

Like Julie said - same here - never cared for beans in my diet until LDL, soo far all has worked out beautifully except for this run with the extra small lima beans

Or pehaps everyone else but me is used to the taste ...  We'll see - I will try it out with the proper size next time



Can't wait to try again! 

Hi there,  I found them in food basics.  Where abouts are you in Ontario.  I'm in Haliburton          Eileen

Food basics? Never heard of 'em, but I'll look them up. Over in Edmonton, Alberta... Superstore is the closest find thus far for beans, not all listed, but I will be hunting around the city for the best bean stop

RR  -- you are too funny!  Thanks for the laugh. Your photo is adorable! Love the big smile.

Julie

sometimes I find butterbeans in the canned vegetable aisle, instead of the aisle they have all the other beans in.

You may be interested in reading the other thread about finding, identifying & cooking "butter" beans:
http://www.letsdolunch.com/boards/http: ... 262#p58262

Also, you can search for Bean Queen Niki's method of soaking & cooking beans that has gone around the boards about a thousand times.