Butter Beans

Hi,

Have been asked if I know what are Butter Beans and can we buy and grow them here in England ?

Looking on the Web seems they are also known as Lima Beans and they say grow best in warm climates, but also that when raw they can be poisonous as they contain some form of cyanide.

 

Isn't the same true of red beans, too? I'm sure I read that they have to be cooked, rinsed, cooked again and the water discarded. They're both dried seeds so perhaps the warm climate bit is so they have a long season to ripen?

 

Red kidney beans do contain poison and need to be boiled for a while to get rid of it.
I usually buy tinned ones that have already gone through the process are are pretty much cooked anyway.

We used to have butter beans when I was a kid and they were dried ones, but I dont remember them ever being anything other than just boiled until soft.

I reckon you could grow the dried ones from a supermarket, unless of course they part cook them and then dry them.

 

My Mum used to chuck a tin of butter beans into a stew .
@ricky101....here's a link to a French site that sells the seed. If they do, I should think UK suppliers do! Under Lima bean? Haricot De Lima (phaseolus Lunatus) à Rames Panach

ETA; Bean & Pea Seeds - Plant World Seeds

 

We always have several tins of butter beans in the cupboard.
They are relatively cheap so i haven't tried growing them. They are a good addition to stews and curries etc.