National Eat Your Beans Day

Weather means more when you have a garden. There’s nothing like listening to a shower and thinking how it is soaking in around your green beans.

Marcelene Cox

It doesn’t matter how you have them, beans are some of the most amazing foods on Earth, rich and nutritious, flavorful and versatile, they’ve served as a staple of meals for nearly every culture on the globe. Whether you’re a fan of pork and beans, refried beans, or navy bean soup, you can’t go wrong with a little bean on your plate or a lot! National Eat Your Beans Day.

History of National Eat Your Beans Day

Beans have been with us a long time, a very long time in fact. How long we hear you ask? The earliest sign of cultivated beans was in the seventh millennium BC, a time so long ago that it predated one of the earliest human crafts, ceramics. That’s right, we’ve been eating beans since before we knew how to make a pot to cook them in! The Egyptians took a particular interest in them, and beans were often found buried with the dead. Beans were so important to human history they even got a mention in the Iliad.

Beans have many qualities that helped them take and hold their place as an important human staple. They’re an excellent source of fiber and protein with virtually no fat to be found and they provide calcium, folic acid, potassium, and iron, all vital to a healthy body. 40,000 varieties can be found throughout the world, though we only see a few of these made available to mass markets. Unlike most cultivated plants, beans have been near perfect from the beginning! The genes from our ancestor’s crops of beans are almost identical to those of the modern crop. Why mess with something when it’s already perfect?! You don’t! You just enjoy a big bowl every National Eat Your Beans Day, and the rest of the year as well!

How To Celebrate National Eat Your Beans Day

Congratulations, National Eat Your Beans Day is your chance to try all the beans you ever dreamed of and have never had the chance! Ever wondered what Chick Peas were and if they were any good? Absolutely! They’re one of the foundational ingredients in Hummus. A big fan of Silence of the Lambs? Time to try some Fava Beans! They’re delicious! Or go with a traditional, Pork and Beans with lots of ketchup and barbecue sauce to make it perfectly tangy!