Kid Rating: (Didn't save any for them. They'll have some from the next picking.)
Do Again?: Most definitely! Over and over and over. Will have to try beans from the frozen and dried variety when the garden runs out.
I vaguely remember reluctantly trying Lima beans as a kid. I don't recall them ever being on our family table or anyone else's table. They seemed to be depicted on TV as a kid's worst veggie nightmare.
Well, I grew my own. Oh, yum. I cracked open a ready pod and started eating them there in the garden. So good. I collected more pods, brought them in, and had my parents and hubby try them straight out of the pod. We stopped so I'd have enough for a recipe.
Guess what. We are not supposed to eat them raw because of their cyanide content. They have to be cooked for at least 10 minutes first while the cyanide is safely released and diluted into the air as a gas. Upon further reading, I learned that different varieties of Lima beans have different levels of cyanide, and the ones offered in the United States, especially the seeds in packets for us to grow, are safe. I'm sure the FDA wouldn't allow anything harmful be sold to us.
My family and I felt fine after eating raw Lima beans, but I will be cooking them just in case.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Lima Beans (amount after removing from pods)
1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOL)
1 T Salted Butter
1-2 Cloves of garlic (depending on size and preference), minced
to taste Kosher salt
to taste Pepper
Heat skillet, oil, and butter.
Add beans. Stir occasionally. 15-20 min.
Add garlic, salt, and pepper.
Saute 1-2 min. longer.
An additional note about adding beans: While taking them out of the pods, separate them into different sizes. Cook the larger ones first, then add the next size to the skillet after about 3 minutes (and so-on).
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| Skins peel off the beans during cooking. I served them, too, and they tasted yummy and crispy. |
