Dry Beans

What Are Dry Edible Beans?

Dry edible beans were originally domesticated in South America more than 7,000 years ago, eventually spreading north through Mexico and across most of the United States. Once mature, the bean plants remain in the fields until they are dry and their moisture content is optimal for harvesting. When the beans are cut, they are left in windrows to continue drying before a combine picks them up and separates the pods. Finally, the beans are sold to processors for storage, packaging, and sale.

Senator Ben Nelson stated, "The USDA says Nebraska accounts for the majority of the U.S. Great Northern crop which means if you’re eating baked beans in Boston, Senate Bean Soup in Washington, a cassoulet in Paris, a vegetarian stew in San Francisco, or white bean chili in Dallas, and they’re made with Great Northern Beans, chances are they were grown in Nebraska."

Quiz!

Are these green beans...

related to these dry beans...

and these soy beans?

Did you know?

You might be surprised to learn that not only are green beans and dry edible beans related, they are the same species, Phaseolus vulgaris. We call them all "beans" but, technically, the pod contains the seeds; it's just that green beans have such tiny seeds they're not worth harvesting, so we eat the pod, too.

Pintos, blacks, pinks, Great Northern beans, canary beans, garbanzos, and kidney beans are all bean "seeds" that come from a pod that looks very much like a green bean. These are all dry bean market classes of the same species, along with many others, though they do differ in size, color, texture, and flavor.

By the way, soy beans are from Asia and are not dry edible beans, but an entirely different species, Glycine max.

Nebraska Dry Beans...

Pinto beans

Great Northern beans

Dark red kidney beans

Black beans

Nebraska Dry Bean Growers Association