Beans, beans...

Beans, beans are good for the heart,
The more you eat? The more you ...

There's a lot more to that "toilet song" than just a good rhyme (I heard it for the first time, after my brother used a public stall on one of the numerous summer road trips... And when I heard it, I didn't stop repeating it from Ottawa all the way to Shediac (NB) !

Beans are an essential "brain nutrient" . It is a seed!

Where I come from, people eat beans at the yearly "cabane a sucre" gathering! Beans drenched in Maple Syrup! That's it once a year !!!

In fact, I hated anything made with beans. Until recently, when I got creative with them!

 

                         Black beans left to dry  

                         Then stored in glass jars                          

                       Was a gift from a neighbor

                       This amount was enough for a huge   

                       pot of chili...

                       and a little black bean salad :)

So it got me thinking...

These are basically dried, like the organic dried "in bulk" kind at the store.

Essentially a seed right...

I took an organic kidney bean/seed, soaked it in water overnight (kids love these kinds of experiments!)

and then my son planted it 1 inch deep in some of my compost/ super soil... And pouff ! Withing 5 days a sprout !

And then... BAM 2 days later !

My son woke up every morning for a week, running to the bean stock ! LOL 

He found it so much fun, that he's brought enough "organic kidney beans" to his classmates for every child to try and grow their own plant...

I now get my beans from my 3 different kind's of bean strains: 

-Dragon Tongue Bush Bean

-Golderbse (peas) herloom 16th century strain

-and the black bean seen above, which comes from my neighbor, he doesn't know the exact name...

So far it's been a fun activity, a great learning experience for my son, and a surprising "penny pincher" trick!

a few more recipe idea: 

-Mashed beans with cheddar cheese/ baked in the oven

-Mixed bean salad with crunchy lettuce and onions, topped with a raspberry vinegar dressing.

-Adding beans to soups and stews adding wholesome protein and oh so much more ;)

-My son's favorite, crushed beans and avocado with salsa and baked tortillas! 

Remember ...

The more you eat the better you feel....

So eat your beans at every meal !

;)