Beans and beans.

[major bill]

In another thread it stated that while in garrison, soldiers often ate beans. Well at my local produce store that are so many different kinds beans, some types of beans I have never eaten. So what was the most common beans grown and eaten before and during the Civil War? Also did the Northern and Southern states grow the same kinds of beans? It would seem like the difference in weather and growing seasons would make growing the same kind of beans difficult.

Now some bean humor. During the Civil War the South refused to grow Great Northern beans. The Union had a great advantage in "Navy" beans. The favorite bean for Zouave troops was Red Kidney beans. Most solders had to stay at the dinner table until they finished their Lima beans or green beans.

 

[major bill]

In the cavalry most troopers ate Horse beans. If soldiers drank too much they ate black eye beans. Is the pinto bean the same as a horse bean?

What is the difference between a fava bean and a horse bean?

 

[donna]

Great questions. I need to do bean research.

 

[donna]

An interesting article on fava beans is from Tori Avey.

See:

https://toriavey.com/howto/fava-beans-how-to-cook-soak-peel-freeze/

 

[donna]

Horse beans are broad beans. It is part of same as fava beans. "The seed or pod of this plant is also called broad bean/horse bean".

 

[DBF]

Someone gave me an old song book titled: "Victory Song Book" for Soldiers, Sailors and Marines. It was copyrighted in 1942, but in it I found a song called "The Army Bean" - a WWI song - but it made me think of it with this thread. It is sung to the melody of the hymn "Sweet By and By" - -

1.
"There's a spot that the soldiers all love,
Oh the chow line's the place that we mean;
And the dish that we like to see there,
Is the old fashioned, old Army Bean.

2.
Now the bean in its primitive state,
Is a plant we have all often met,
And when cooked in the old army style,
Is has charms we can never forget.

The Chorus -
'Tis the Bean — that we mean,
And we'll eat as we never ate before.
The Army Bean —nice and clean,
We will stick to our beans evermore."


Some things never change!