We called them butterbeans – Fordhook Limas, that is. They were a staple on our kitchen tables, making special showings during Christmas and Thanksgiving, or when company came. Sometimes we had them with sweet corn, as in succotash, and sometimes we had them by themselves in bowls, soaking with butter. I guess that’s why we called them butterbeans.
Recently, I have been having a hard time finding Fordhooks in grocery stores. They have baby lima beans, but that’s not the same animal. The smaller limas lack the explosive flavor of a big, fat juicy butterbean,
Finally, I saw them in the freezer section at Kroger’s. They were $3.99 for a 12-oz. bag. That’s like a hundred beans. But I gladly bought them. They are, after all, the filet mignon of all vegetables and next year, I have reserved 8 rows in my small backyard garden to grow my own Fordhook Limas.
I grew some a few years back, but I didn’t thin them out as I should have and a lack of rain didn’t help. Still, I got a few and they were sweet and delicious.
I have already ordered seeds and my garden advisors say to sow those seeds directly after the last frost – late April or early May. Plant them 1” to 2″ deep, spaced 4-10″ apart. Be sure to water during flowering and mulch the young plants to retain moisture. Harvest the green pods before yellowing for fresh eating.
This year, I promise, I’ll thin them, I’ll weed them, I’ll water them and give them the supplements they need. I’ll wait until the pods are bulging before I pick them. I can’t wait to get started.
Until then, as long as Kroger’s carries “butterbeans”. I’ll buy them.
