what is so special about lima beans?

[Blackdog Lin]

It's the current cost of 'em I'm talking about.

I haven't had to purchase beans in 5 years, as I "put up" a large bulk stash back then and have been eating on them since. Mostly pintos, navys and great northerns, with lesser amounts of a few other varieties. We have a pot o' beans about twice a month.

Well, I have a bad bad craving and nothing else will do but a big ol' pot of butter beans. (what we 'round here call both limas and baby limas.) And they're all gone from the stash. So I have to buy them special today at the grocery.

$2.45/lb.!!! Are you kidding me?!!! Much of the meat we eat we pay less than that! All the "regular" bean varieties were priced what I considered normal for these days, $.99-$1.39/lb. It was just the limas that were (are) so ridiculously high.

Anyone know why? I'm curious.

[Zoe Girl]

crazy, i was just thinking about getting lima beans. they are one of the tastier beans.

if anyone knows that would be interesting

[lessisbest]

I live in farm country so I hear agricultural reports on the radio all day long, and bean production has fallen greatly in the last few years, so that's why the prices are so much higher. There may have been carry over from other years, so prices weren't great, and there was more corn planted when the government subsidized ethanol plants, so there went some of the bean crops. It's the old supply and demand thing. I almost cried when lentils went from 99-cents to $1.08 per pound at Wal-Mart. Every increase is a huge blow to my food storage and food budget. Time to grow your own, perhaps.

[rodeosweetheart]

Time to grow your own, perhaps.

I grew Christmas limas this year. They are so beautiful, and such a delicacy!