Fresh, green butter beans. What a southern summer time delight! Served alongside fried chicken with cornbread and sliced tomatoes on the side, butter beans are a perennial favorite at many a southern table.
Now, I’ve read lots of opinions about whether butter beans and lima beans are the same thing. And I still don’t know for sure. They certainly don’t taste anything alike to me. Lima beans, in my opinion, have a horrible mealy quality that I dislike. Butter beans, on the other hand, have a luscious creamy texture. Limas are pale grey to white when cooked and butter beans keep their pretty green color.
When I was growing up, we had a garden most years and we always grew butter beans. They were shelled and cooked fresh during the summer and were also frozen for use the rest of the year. I still “put up” some butter beans almost every summer, so I have them on hand whenever we want them.
These were frozen last summer and still just as delicious as they were fresh.
Old-time southern cooking has a bad reputation when it comes to preparing fresh vegetables. We tend to cook our vegetables for a longer time and season them more highly than other regions of the country. I like them both ways. I like the bright taste of vegetables that are cooked quickly, and I also like the homestyle taste of the longer cooked and more well-seasoned vegetables. Butter beans are one vegetable that really need the hours long cooking time.
Because of the long cooking time needed for the butter beans, I cook them in a slow cooker. They can happily cook away for the afternoon with little to no attention from me. And, to cut back on the fat, I use chicken bouillon to season with instead of the more traditional salted pork.
Here’s how I do it:
1 quart shelled, fresh or frozen, butterbeans
2 tblsp. butter substitute (such as Butter Buds)
1 ½ tblsp chicken bouillon
1 1/2 tsp Salt
Water
Place butterbeans, butter substitute, chicken bouillon and water to cover in a small slow cooker. Cook on high for 1 ½ hours. Turn cooker to low and cook for another 2-3 hours or until butterbeans are tender. Add a small amount of additional water during cooking only if needed.
They cooked all afternoon and are still pretty and green and firm. If you can get your hands on some fresh, green southern butter beans (not Limas!), give this method of cooking a try. It also works very well for field peas.
Enjoy!
Looks lovely!! This would go great mixed into a salad. Yum!
Hmmm…I would have never thought about using butter beans in a salad! Might work, however, with some onion, tomato, thyme (or basil), a little oil and vinegar! I think we may have a new recipe in the works here!
I want some of those butter beans right now, Lana!!! Man, they look good. I wonder if I can even find FROZEN ones up here. Gotta look the next time I am off island. You have made me so hungry for Southern food, I might just have to open up some more Stripling sausage and cook some biscuits. Love you!
You can’t fool me. I know that you have okra and tomatoes as the other side dish on that plate. Tell these folks how to cook that. You will be thanked!
Miss P
You could see that?!?! Yes, I’m going to write that post probably tomorrow 🙂
I just LOVE butter beans!
Now look what you did – there’s a big pile of drool on my floor ;). I’m from the south but now live in Michigan, and I definitely miss access to butter beans. When I was visiting my parents in December, I brought back a bunch of frozen ones from the local market. I’ve never tried cooking them in a slow cooker, but it sounds like a great idea!
My mother is a big fan of butter beans, served with pulled pork at one of her favorite restaurants. But you’ve convinced me that we need to try them in our garden next year. Especially if they play nice in a slow cooker. What could be better?
Anyway, I found you on TasteSpotting and am writing to say that if you have any photos that aren’t accepted there, I’d love to publish them. Visit my new site (below), it’s a lot of fun! I hope you will consider it.
Best,
Casey
Editor
http://www.tastestopping.wordpress.com
Do I ever have photos that they have rejected!?!?! Loads of them. I saw your site a couple of days ago and thought it looked like fun. I just may send some things your way!
as a native son of the south (alabama),
i am a huge fan of fresh butter beans.
this recipe looks delish and simple.
congrats!
Oh yum. I love butter beans and your post brings back memories of sitting under the shade tree with my grandmother, shelling them. Also of my brother passing his under the table, a few at a time, because he hated them, I loved them, and he had to clean his plate before he could get dessert.
Congratulations on your great blog!
Oh, yes. I spent many a summer day shelling fresh butter beans and peas and shucking corn. I thought it was absolute torture back then. I’ve love to just sit and shell for a day now 🙂
Okay, now I’m inspired. I saw speckled butter beans in the frozen food section at the grocery store, do you think that would be suitable? Or maybe I need ot head out to the farmer’s market and try to get some fresh ones…
You know, I really don’t like those speckled butter beans. They are too close to limas for me. They have that mealy texture that I just dislike. I’d much rather have the fresh, green ones. I really need to find a good farmers’ market around here!
Growing up in the south my parents loved butter beans and we had them often…I was not a big fan until I had some homemade ones on my visit back at families this past June…and yours look wonderful!
I love your blog. You are doing a great job with it.
Now that I have buttered you up. Smiling.
I have a question about your header. Would you drop me a line at chayathecomfycook@yahoo.com? Maybe you can direct me how to resolve the issue. Thanks.
Chaya
Thanks for this! I just got some fresh Butter Beans this week. I used your basic recipe and technique. We’re having them for dinner tonight. I can’t wait!
Please tell me where in California can I get some good ole butter beans and okra! I miss my favorites from the South.