Ah, the butter bean, a sure sign of summer in the south. If you grew up in the South, your Mawmaw likely served you butter beans alongside cornbread or biscuits in the summertime. Mawmaw would shell the butter beans at the table or on the porch, wash them, and cook them low and slow for about an hour on medium heat with a chunk of fatback or streak o’lean and season them with salt and pepper. A bowl of butter beans, cornbread or biscuits, and sliced onion made a complete meal. That’s about as southern as it gets!
A southern staple, butter beans have been around since the 1700’s. Butter beans make a fine meal on their own but also appear in stews and succotash. A cousin to the lima bean, butter beans are lighter in color and sweeter than limas.
Next week marks the arrival of butter beans, lady peas, and pink eye peas from Calhoun Produce! In business since 1982, Gerald and Joyce Calhoun run their family owned and operated farm in Ashburn, Georgia alongside their children. Their main crops are butter beans and peas, with the season lasting from June to October. The Calhoun family grows, shells, and packs their beans and peas with pride on-site. We hope you’re as excited we are for the arrival of Georgia Grown butter beans and peas!
For a modern, healthier twist on Mawmaw’s butter beans, try this easy, flavorful recipe:
Boil butter beans in salted water
Drain butter beans
Add olive oil to coat
Grate lemon zest,
Sprinkle butter beans with fresh cracked pepper
Toss to combine
*add red pepper flakes if you’d like a little kick to your beans
