a better bean
The Local Palate|Summer 2024
Why we’re up for a new take on butter beans
SHERI CASTLE
a better bean

Fresh butter beans are high on my list of favorite vegetable standouts.They are so irresistible that I'm willing to stain and scuff up the sides of my thumbs to liberate a mess from their pods, even though I can usually find baggies of shelled butter beans at local farmers markets and produce stands. I love the meaty speckled varieties that look like polished creek pebbles glinting in the summer sun.

I'm smitten by the jade green ones no larger than a dime or, as some would say, "about the size of a squirrel's ear." Whether speckled or green, butter beans are members of the lima bean family. Gosh, I really hate to hear that. The memories of ruinously cooked lima beans dissuade some people from trying butter beans at all, guilt by grim association. Perhaps Southern gardeners started using the term "butter beans" to give their beloved legumes a fresh start under an assumed name. It's more likely that fresh butter beans earned the name by being so dainty and tender that they practically melt like butter in our mouths.

There are other beans around the world and perhaps in our pantries that are also identified as butter beans, namely those ginormous white dried beans, which have their own appeal, but they are by no means what Southerners are talking about when we laud fresh butter beans. We know our good thing when we see it, summer after summer. We strategically eat all we can while they're in season and stock the freezer with enough to tide us over the rest of the year.

Many of us were raised on butter beans prepared only the traditional way, seasoned with pork and cooked until creamy, and they are delicious. But butter beans are willing and able to be spruced up and lightened in recipes that provide fresh inspiration for enjoying them, if not giving them a go for the first time.

SUCCOTASH CHOW CHOW MAKES ABOUT 3 PINTS

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE LOCAL PALATEView all
Fit for a King
The Local Palate

Fit for a King

Tupelo beckons with great bites and beverages, plus plenty of Elvis lore

time-read
3 mins  |
Summer Road Trips 2024
Spring Forward
The Local Palate

Spring Forward

In a city as diverse as Houston, whatever you crave is on the plate—sometimes in the most surprising places

time-read
3 mins  |
Summer Road Trips 2024
Dine and Dash
The Local Palate

Dine and Dash

Small-town charm meets urban dining and culture in southern Kentucky

time-read
3 mins  |
Summer Road Trips 2024
In With the Old and the New
The Local Palate

In With the Old and the New

This popular DC neighborhood keeps its historic charm while offering an increasingly diverse and eclectic food scene

time-read
3 mins  |
Summer Road Trips 2024
SOAKING IT UP
The Local Palate

SOAKING IT UP

A nourishing 48-hour retreat awaits in Bath County, Virginia

time-read
7 mins  |
Summer Road Trips 2024
time TRAVEL
The Local Palate

time TRAVEL

Retracing memories on a family road trip from Alabama to Tennessee

time-read
9 mins  |
Summer Road Trips 2024
Eat Your Way from Little Rock to New Orleans
The Local Palate

Eat Your Way from Little Rock to New Orleans

A seven-hour, food-fueled trip from one state capital to another has no shortage of great stops along the way. Just make sure to drive hungry.

time-read
7 mins  |
Summer Road Trips 2024
A GIN-SOAKED JOURNEY
The Local Palate

A GIN-SOAKED JOURNEY

The Sunshine State is making a splash with craft distilleries

time-read
5 mins  |
Summer Road Trips 2024
CHOOSE YOUR OWN (MOUNTAIN) ADVENTURE
The Local Palate

CHOOSE YOUR OWN (MOUNTAIN) ADVENTURE

In Jackson County, you'll find scenic getaways for families, couples, and solo travelers alike

time-read
6 mins  |
Summer Road Trips 2024
Island Days
The Local Palate

Island Days

Explore the land of seafood, Spanish moss, and sunsets in Jekyll Island, Georgia

time-read
3 mins  |
Summer Road Trips 2024