Beans: species and varietal diversity

Beans are among the ten most common and consumed vegetables. Therefore, it is not surprising that in almost every garden you can find beds of this useful crop from the legume family. Indeed, one garden cannot be avoided here, because the enormous species diversity of the culture that exists today and the unpretentious nature of cultivation and care attracts gardeners to plant various varieties that differ not only in the appearance of the plant itself, but also in the color, taste and quality characteristics of the fruits.

Options for the appearance and shape of the bean bush

If the type of plant is used as the basis for the classification of beans, that is, the appearance and shape of the bush, then the following varieties can be distinguished:

• bush;
• curly;
• half-wobbling.

Bush beans

Shrub bean is a low plant with a maximum bush height of not more than 60 cm. Since it does not require support, it is cultivated on farms and for industrial purposes. Most varieties of this subspecies are characterized by early maturity, unpretentiousness, cold resistance and high productivity.

Shrub bean grows low. does not require supports and garters

Table: popular varieties of bush beans included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements

Photo Gallery: Popular Bush Bean Varieties

Curly beans

The lengths of curled beans may reach five meters, so most often it is grown at fences, walls of houses or other buildings. Landings of this variety perfectly decorate the house and garden areas. When growing on an open bed, climbing vines require a support with a height of at least 2 meters.

The undeniable advantage of the variety is a significant saving of space on the site - from one square meter it gives a plentiful harvest. The growing season of varieties of curly beans is longer, in comparison with bush forms.

Vertical planting of curly beans save space in small areas and decorate them during flowering and fruiting

Table: popular varieties of bush beans included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements

Photo Gallery: Popular Varieties of Curly Beans

If the height of the beans ranges from 70 cm to 2 m, then the variety is classified as semi-mature.

Beans: Vegetable and Grain

According to the method of eating, beans can be divided into grain and vegetable, that is, ripe beans or shoulder blades along with unripe grains are used for food. Interestingly, grains used to be considered rough food, suitable exclusively for the common people. But the pods were very popular with the aristocracy.

Haricot bean

In a grain variety, only seeds are edible. Before use, the beans are peeled, hence another name for this variety - peeled beans. The beans (pods) of such beans have a hard wax coating, they are hard and tasteless. But the beans themselves are excellent in taste, have a diverse appearance and special nutritional value.

Peel the beans after drying, then the pods open easily

Table: Popular Bean Varieties

Photo Gallery: Popular Bean Shellers

Vegetable beans

Recently, vegetable beans varieties have become especially popular among gardeners. It differs from grain in that not only grains are edible in it, but also the pods themselves. For this reason, vegetable beans are often called green beans, asparagus, or sugar. The vegetable bean pod does not have a parchment layer and coarse fibers even in a mature state; therefore, to prepare various dishes, preserve and freeze, they use the entire shoulder blade, often with unripe seeds. String beans can be either bush or curly, it has excellent decorative qualities, which is why it has gained the love and veneration of many gardeners and gardeners.

Table: Popular Bean Varieties

Photo Gallery: Popular Varieties of Vegetable Beans

Please note that there are semi-sugar bean varieties. Their feature is that the beans can be eaten only in an unripe state. Over time, a parchment layer forms on them, they become stiff. In this case, you need to wait for the seeds to ripen, husk them and use them as food grains.

Video: Asparagus Beans, Benefit

Red, White, Yellow, Black and Other Beans

Both pods and bean seeds can have a different shape and color, differ in their nutritional and taste qualities. Four bean colors are the most popular:

• white. It is rich in iron and calcium;
• red. It is recommended to use it to maintain immunity and improve the digestive system;
• yellow. This variety is characterized by the content of a large number of vitamins and minerals, as well as its versatility;
• purple. It changes color when cooked.

The variety of beans is not limited to the named colors. Among gardeners, black, green and motley beans are also popular.

The color of the seeds and pods of the beans depends on the variety and can be white, yellowish, light or bright green, variegated, purple and even black

White beans

White beans are most often grown in gardens. She is the most familiar, quickly cooks, as she does not need preliminary soaking. Varieties with white grains have the following advantages:

• they contain a small amount of protein, therefore they are recommended for dietary nutrition;
• contain a lot of iron, which helps strengthen the cardiovascular system;
• go well with all vegetables.

White beans can be bushy, curly and semi-curly. Many varieties of asparagus beans also have white seeds. Its productivity depends on varietal characteristics and the correct application of agricultural techniques. Speaking of white beans, I want to talk about unusual varieties of this vegetable.

Black eye

This white bean is considered by many as a variety of asparagus. In fact, the Black Eye belongs to the genus Vigna from the Legume family. He is the closest relative of all Fasolevs, but differs from them at the biochemical level. The variety has a very thin pod and the original appearance of the grains. They are white, but there is always a small black spot near each eye. The grains of the Black Eye are quickly boiled, as they have a thin and delicate skin.

The black eye is popular in the USA, China, Asia, Africa, Americans, for example, prepare from it the traditional New Year's dish "Leaping John"

Lima beans

It is also one of the varieties of white beans. Some notice the similarity of Lima bean seeds to mandarin slices, others to the growing moon. The grain size is large, slightly flattened. Due to the interesting creamy taste, this variety of beans is often called oily. Lima grains contain a lot of proteins, fats, vitamins and dietary fiber. Specialists note the usefulness of this variety for blood vessels and the heart.

This type of bean received its name from the capital of Peru - the city of Lima, where the variety was classified

Video: Lima Beans

Chali

This bean is especially popular in Turkey and in some Asian countries. Chali grains are cooked for a long enough time, but their indisputable advantage is their large size, as well as their saturation with substances such as potassium and calcium.

The name of Chali beans is translated from Turkish as a bush

Navy

Beans from Boston are often called this small-fruited, pea-shaped, milky-white variety of beans. Grains of Nevi really resemble peas, they are small and rounded, but are champions in the content of fiber and vitamins. Navy is versatile in use, quickly cooks, has a pleasant aroma.

Nevi was known in ancient Egypt and China, and in ancient Rome it was used for the manufacture of whitewash and powder.

Red beans

Almost all Mexican national dishes include red beans. Its grains resemble a crescent, have a glossy surface and color from motley pink to rich burgundy. The shell of red bean seeds is usually dense, and the flesh is tender and oily.

Kindy

Kindi beans have a dark purple or rich burgundy color, as well as a smooth glossy tone. During heat treatment, they brighten. It is recommended to cook Kindi in combination with other vegetables for better absorption of iron, which is rich in beans. The variety is recommended for use in diabetes mellitus, rheumatism. It is ideal for canning.

The combination of pleasant aroma and rich rich taste earned Kindi beans gourmet love around the world

Azuki

This culture also belongs to the genus Vigna. It has a sweet taste and aroma, it is used to make sweet soups, bean pastas, desserts. To make vitamin salads and snacks, Azuki bean seeds are often sprouted. The variety is especially popular in Japan and some Asian countries.

Azuki is appreciated for the speed of cooking, as it does not require pre-soaking and long cooking

Purple bean

Many chefs note the tenderness and juiciness of purple string beans. During heat treatment, it completely changes its color and turns green. The most popular varieties of purple vegetable beans are the Blauchilde and Purple Queen varieties, which we described above, and the cereal - Violet.

Blauchild

This is an early ripe, high-yielding variety of curly form, and it gives excellent crops in any region. The growing season from sowing to harvesting is approximately 2 months. The plant is tall (about 3 m), powerful, it definitely needs support. Beans are long (up to 25 cm) and wide (up to 1.5 cm), flat-rounded. Parchment layer and fiber are absent. Blauchild seeds are white in color, have usefulness and nourishment, like beans. Unripe pods are used for food, which can not only be boiled, but also fried, marinated and frozen.

Blauchilde is purple curly bean, and everything is purple in it: flowers, pods and even leaves become dark purple over time

Violet

Violet is a curly shape. It is not only valuable grain, but also decorative. The variety is very harvested: during fruiting, the whole plant is hung with long lilac beans. Grains inside, as they ripen, change their color from green to dark purple.

Violet adult plant grows to 2.5 m in height

Yellow beans

Yellow beans stand out with their bright, elegant beans among many varieties of this crop. It is universal in use, tasty after heat treatment, it can be pickled, canned and frozen. Raw yellow shoulder blades in various vegetable salads are also useful. We already talked about some varieties of beans with yellow beans: Oil King, Lacemaker, Gerda, Golden Saxon. Another popular representative in this category is Sweet Courage beans. This is an early ripe bush type bean. After 55 days after the emergence of seedlings, you can harvest the first crop of long (from 12 cm), juicy beans with a bright yellow color.

You can recognize asparagus of the Sweet Courage variety by cylindrical pods that have a smooth bend and are painted in bright yellow color.

Green Bean Mash

Another representative of the Vigna genus is the bean culture Mash. This is the oldest cultural representative of his family, who began the conquest of the world from India. Mash fruits are especially popular in the national cuisine of Asian countries. The taste of the seeds of this culture resembles beans, but it has a nutty flavor. Mash is preparing quickly, its consumption does not cause increased flatulence, so it is recommended even to small children from six months of age.

Mash is a fairly nutritious product: 100 grams of grains contains 300 calories

Mash is universal in application. it can be combined with seafood, cereals, meat. But the most useful way to consume a vegetable is salads with its seedlings.

Video: how to germinate and eat Mash

Black bean

Black beans are not so often grown in garden plots as their white and red counterparts, but experts note the usefulness and nutritional value of its fruits. They contain more protein, so they can completely replace meat, especially since the characteristics of black bean proteins are closest to animal protein. In addition, the systematic use of vegetable seeds normalizes the chemical balance in the stomach.

One of the prominent representatives of this variety is Preto beans. It is common among Hispanic peoples. Brazilians, for example, prepare from it the main national dish - feijoad. Preto is distinguished by the small size of the grains, silky-black skin, creamy flesh with a delicate but dense structure. It has a sweet taste with a slight bitterness, as well as a pleasant berry aroma, especially manifested when soaking or boiling beans.

Preto beans need long cooking (at least 1.5 hours) with pre-soaking in water

Motley beans

Variegated varieties of beans are quite popular and are often grown in garden plots. We have already talked about such peeling varieties as Ballad, Swallow, which have seeds with variegated coloring. Another spectacular representative of this variety is Pinto beans. Raw seeds of this variety resemble miniature paintings. After heat treatment, the originality disappears, but pays off with the delicate taste of beans.

Pinto grains are very useful: they are a source of high-quality vegetable protein, and also help to lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar.

Pinto in Spanish means "painted"

Varieties of beans for growing in various regions

Agricultural practices and rules for growing beans in the southern and northern regions, in the east and west of the country practically do not differ from each other. Only approaches to improve the physicochemical state of the soil and the sowing calendar differ. To get a good crop, it is important to correctly determine the type of culture and the method of growing beans: in open or protected soil, seedlings or sowing seeds directly into the soil.

The state register of breeding achievements does not differentiate between bean varieties by tolerance region and indicates that all of them can be grown in all regions of the country. Analyzing the information presented in the characteristics of the varieties, as well as the fact that in the northern regions it is preferable to grow more early-ripening varieties, let us form a recommendation table for bean varieties included in the State Register for various regions of the country.

Table: Bean Varieties for Different Regions

Whatever kind of bean is chosen for planting on your site, in any case you will get a unique protein supplement for different dishes, which also contains many useful vitamins and minerals.