| Lima beans were first cultivated in Peru around 6000
B.C. The name comes from the capital city of Peru, Lima. Today most
lima beans are grown in the US with NJ as a major growing area. Lima
beans are an excellent source of protein, fiber, vitamins and carbohydrates
and their smooth, creamy texture and delicious taste make great side
dishes and even a wonderful main course. One cup of lima beans will
give 70% of the daily fiber your diet should include. Fresh pole
lima beans are found in Woodstown, NJ where La Rosa Greenhouses
cultivates 21 acres and sells them fresh everyday in season, which
runs from the 1st week of August through the 2nd week of October,
or shortly after the 1st frost. Carmen La Rosa started growing pole
lima beans 31 years ago with one row, today there are 21 acres under
cultivation. One to two hundred 1/2 bushel baskets are picked every
morning in season and sold out of the bean processing warehouse
to wholesalers and the public.
La Rosa’s pole lima beans are firm, free of blemishes, dark
green and glossy. Fresh pole lima beans are very difficult to find
because they are extremely perishable, for this reason it is worth
a drive to La Rosa Greenhouses and pick up a basket that was picked
only a couple hours earlier. |
