In
the old days beans was a term used to signify derision, on occasion. 'Oh,
you're full of beans.' [I'll leave you to extrapolate] or 'Aw, beans!'. These
days we have other words and we use beans for other things. Like food. Well, we
used them as food back then, too, don't get me wrong, but now we have LOTS and
LOTS of beans where as in the old days we only had a few kinds. Maybe it was
because we were vaining their name, I don't know but we have so many different
kinds of beans to choose from these days that it seems kind of disparaging to
refer to the bean as humble.
Take
for instance the original pinto, my personal fav. Now Mexican food would be
bereft w/o it but then so would many other kinds of dishes, especially certain
southern kinds served with cornbread.
Then
there's the black bean. The navy bean [which is the interior of the green bean
for those, like me, who didn’t know that] the adzuki, which I have yet to try,
the lima, the kidney, garbanzo [yeah], pink, and the fava. [I believe there are
more but you get the general idea].
Now,
this last, the fava bean, was not on the list of the US Dry Bean Council. I arbitrarily
added it. Why? Because it took me a while to find the da*n things in the stores
around here. When I was a kid the fava bean, also known as broad beans or
Italian beans, were everywhere including just about all backyard gardens. I don’t
know when or why they fell out of favor but POOF!! Gone. So why am I so keen on
finding these particular beans?
Because
they are a food source of levodopa.
It
is used to treat, among other things, Parkinson’s disease and related disease
symptoms like tremors which I am now developing especially in my hands. Some
days these are so bad I cannot do much of anything including use the computer.
Many are finding that getting the L-dopa through food rather in a medicinal
form is more effective for them__some not. I am willing to try it. I did finally find the dry variety in the Latino
food section at one of the local groceries. I think I’ll try a Mexican type of
hummus recipe I found. Beans, lemon, cumin, garlic, parsley [it calls for
cilantro] and cayenne. Sounds tasty, right?
Anyway,
that’s me. Full of beans. Or soon to be.
Pretty sure you can buy broad bean seeds, they are usually a variety of 'pole' beans as opposed to bush beans. But being available around here won't amount to a hill of beans for you.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I can find them on-line but planting them somewhere that they won't get eaten before I can get to them for harvest is a whole 'nother story.
DeleteHow interesting. I tend to eat a lot of beans especially black beans. I cannot eat fava beans as I have an allergy. Your recipe does indeed sound tasty.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping I'm not allergic to them, Benni. Try the recipe with garbanzo beans.
DeletePerhaps they have fallen out of favor because of the tough husk that requires an extra step to prepare. I eat them before they develop the husk, because I'm lazy. Oh, and I grow them in tomato cages instead of up poles!
ReplyDeleteI like tomato cages. I grow what I can in them. I even have roses growing in them. The problem here is that we moved into the great wilds and much of the food sources for the indigenous animal populations has been scrape-scaped for suburban [read sterile] yards. Unless you completely encase a food garden you can't keep them out... and that includes from underneath. It is an expensive proposition. It's easier and just more cost effective to buy what we need. We also live on the east face of a mountain and only get the benefit of morning sun.
DeleteI was wishing for some black wee beans (pinto? Or are they just black beans?) last night. They would have gone well in my sausage/rice/veggie supper. I love beans.
ReplyDeleteBlack beans are wonderful, aren't they? Pinto beans are the medium brown ones in both size and color [they're kind of spotted before they're cooked in the dry form].
DeleteWell, Beans ! I hope you find your fava beans.
ReplyDeleteThe dry form I can get, either on-line or in the International Foods section. I suppose, in Spring, I could send Matt on a hunt of the specialty markets around DC for them fresh but he would greet that with the enthusiasm of, well, gardening. LoL
DeleteWe seem to be the only country that has given up on them as far as I can tell. They still seem quite popular in Europe and south of here. *shrugs* I don't know about Canada. I would suppose you still manage to grow/eat them. We seem to be the odd one out as far as food goes because we're focusing so much on 'progressive' food production. I won't get on the soapbox.
ReplyDeleteWe used to grow soldier beans.
ReplyDeleteThat's a new one for me, Craig. What do they taste like?
DeleteInteresting holistic treatment. Let us know how things progress.
ReplyDeleteand (hugs), you shouldn't have to put up with such mess.
The first reply was deleted. What I said was that I did manage to find some canned locally and have been using them in soups and salads. As with anything dietary it will take a while to see any results. I also have started a homeopathic med for tremors and it seems to be helping a bit. Ever onward!
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