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Lima Bean Respect Day

Food · April 20

A food day for the lima bean, the flat, buttery bean often met in succotash, and a fair second look at how it cooks and tastes.

Lima Bean Respect Day falls on Tuesday, April 20, 2027. That is 175 days away.

Lima beans are flat, kidney-shaped beans with a pale green or creamy white color. Cooked well, they turn soft and buttery inside, which is why some people call the large ones butter beans.

The lima bean has a reputation problem, mostly earned at school cafeterias where it arrived gray and overcooked. Treated with a little care, it behaves very differently. Fresh or frozen baby limas cook quickly and stay bright and sweet. Big dried limas simmer into something rich and almost creamy, good in soups and stews or mashed with garlic and olive oil on toast.

One classic American way to eat them is succotash, a mix of lima beans and corn, often with butter, onion or peppers. In the South, butter beans show up beside cornbread and greens, sometimes cooked with a bit of smoked meat for flavor.

The word respect fits here. Plenty of people decided against lima beans once and never checked again. A second try works best with fresh ingredients, enough salt and a cooking time that stops before the beans turn to paste.

Lima beans should always be cooked before eating, since raw ones are not meant to be eaten. A pot of them, simmered gently until each bean is tender but still whole, is a good way to change a mind.

Ways to celebrate

• Cook a simple succotash with lima beans and corn.
• Try frozen baby limas sauteed with butter, lemon and salt.
• Mash cooked butter beans with garlic and spread on toast.
• Ask friends for their best lima bean memory, good or bad.
• Add large lima beans to a vegetable soup or stew.

Dates

All national days on April 20

Also on April 20

• National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day
• National Cheddar Fries Day
• National Look-Alike Day
• Volunteer Recognition Day

Categories: Food days