“I went to see a woman up on Fire’s Creek to see about getting some green beans. All she had was a whole patch of lima beans. She said that’s what she liked so that’s what she growed.”
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My favorite green bean is not a bean at all, but a sweet pea, which you can just pull off the vine and eat. My cousins and I, out working in the fields, would often take a break and grab a hand full sweet peas or even a head of cabbage as a snack from our Aunt Deanie’s kitchen garden. We also liked to munch on raw sweet corn and, of course, small scallions. If she caught us at it, she’d get the broom after us!
I’m glad she growed them Lima beans. If she grew them or she had grown them they wouldn’t have half as good. Stuff that’s been growed is alwis better than than if it’s grown.
Alwis is how my grandmother said always.
Now that I think of it, I believe you thresh peas, and thrash bad boys.
My favorite song by Little Jimmy Dickens was “Take a Tater and Wait.” As for beans and peas, I can’t think of one I don’t like. Never will forget the noise of a stationary pea thrasher (combine?) that came to thrash my family’s crop of dried blackeyes, in 1946 or ’47. The machine was powered by a long, wide leather belt looped around a truck wheel and back to the thrasher. The wheel was jacked up only a few inches. They ran the truck engine at a little past idle speed. We kids were impressed most by the noise. We thought surely the whole shebang was about to fly apart as it danced and jiggled. Sure beat hand-shelling all those peas.
I like Lima beans but not my favorite. Mom used to call her Pinto beans brown butter beans because instead of using fat back, ham or shortening in her beans she would add a stick of real butter. Best beans ever! I still don’t quite have the knack of making them like her.
If I grew the green bean I liked best,it would have to be the peanut bean. Yet, as the old saying goes, their more trouble than their worth,takes to many to make a mess. Traded off some of my corn, to my Brother n law for some of his white half runners this summer, my green beans didn’t do no good. Tipper says she sold on the rattlesnake beans,she said their prolific.I had to look up the meaning of prolific, and boy they are. LoL Probably try them next year, but I’m pretty much like the Woman up on Fires Creek I usually plant what I like.
I love almost all beans except the large green or white Lima beans. My favorite fresh beans are blue lake green beans, colored or Jackson wonder butter beans, and Mississippi purple hull crowder peas if they are cooked either with ham or a chunk of fatback. I also love dry beans like pintos, black eyes, northern, or navy. You have to have cornbread anytime you eat beans. I think butterbeans and Lima beans are considered to be the same by some people. My mother in law would add a little bit of vinegar to her green beans when canning them.
Patricia, I must be old too, I have heard Little Jimmy Dickens sing his butter bean bean song a lot of times.
Thanks, Randy! And I agree that you have to have cornbread with beans…
My wife’s parents grew (and harvested) tons of green beans every year. So many that the would have green-bean-breaking parties on her front porch. We swore that breaking and eating green beans contributed to long life and good health. They were certainly good eating! think their favorite was Blue Ribbon..something.
Somehow never developed a taste for lima beans. We never grew them nor ate them at home when I was growing up so I guess I got bent that way. Butter beans are the same. I like them alright but never ate them enough to care one way or the other. Now if I had more garden room ….
By the way Tipper, please let us know what you think of Turkey Craw bean. I’m still looking for a short (<8') runner bean with a good taste and that bears well.
I think we called all of these beans butterbeans.
I tried to grow some running limas this year. I had to order seeds online. I didn’t know they needed to be planted later in the season–had about 4 come up!
I don’t blame her for growing what she likes! I only growed White Half Runners beans because that is what I like.
One if my fondest childhood memories is eating the lima beans my grandpa grew in “the big garden.”
No other lima bean will ever come close.
I love green beans, but I also love limas. We also called the big yellow ones “butter beans.” My dad’s cousin Jay used to sing us the Little Jimmy Dickens song, “Just A Bowl of Butter Beans.” It has the same tune as “Just A Closer Walk with Thee.” Has anybody else heard that song (or am I just old)?
You can hear “Just A Bowl of Butter Beans” on at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7IphWJy-GI
It’s super!
Thanks, Ann! Now I can listen to it whenever!
I agree with her 100%! If Lima beans are what she likes that’s exactly what she should grow. I like Lima beans but I like Green Beans more so, if I start gardening I’ll plant green beans.