Legumes: list of the most important varieties

The legume family contains some of the most important staple foods of global importance. They are characterized by a high protein content and are high-yielding on a small area. We present the most important legumes.

Benefits of legumes

Beans, lentils or peas had previously played a supporting role on the plates. In many cultures, however, they are one of the most important foods because they are a valuable source of protein. Legumes are particularly important in countries where meat is not available in large quantities.

Advantages at a glance:

• high iron content
• Absorption of iron is through foods with a lot vitamin C favored
• a lot of roughage ensures a quick saturation
• sustainable diet
• require little cultivation area with high yield
• low water requirement in cultivation
• Bacteria in the roots absorb nitrogen from the air and make it available as fertilizer

Tip: Use legumes as a pre-culture for heavy feeder. This allows you to save fertilizer and the root system loosens the soil.

beans

The main legumes that are commonly eaten are beans. However, they are poisonous when raw and must therefore be fully cooked through. The selection of beans is enormous and they can be processed in many ways in the kitchen. Even sweet dishes can be made from it. In Asian cuisine, a paste is made from the adzuki beans, which is sweetened. The beans are grown in bush and pole beans divided. Both variants are now available countless varieties, which have many uses in the kitchen, such as green beans or dry beans.

calories	protein	carbohydrates	Fat	fiber
33 calories	22.1g	63g	1.2g	22g

Beans are easy to grow because they thrive on poor soil. No-till is the easiest way to grow beans in the hobby garden. When growing, you should only make sure that the temperatures are not too low, because beans are very sensitive to frost. From the beginning of May, the ground is warm enough that the beans are no longer threatened.

Commonly grown bean varieties
pole beans	bush beans
- Cowpea – fire bean – bug bean – Lima bean – Runner Bean – Asparagus or meter beans	– Adzuki bean - Kidney bean – mung bean

Peas

Land right after the beans Peas as a common vegetable on the plates. A distinction is made between mangetout, marrow and shell peas. snow peas are usually smaller, but can be eaten when young, including the pod. Shell peas ripen in the pod and can even be stored dry. When young, wrinkled peas are edible, including the pod, like mangetout. If they are older, the pod becomes fibrous and the peas are simply removed and eaten, as with shell peas.

calories	protein	carbohydrates	Fat	fiber
81 calories	6.4g	11.4g	0.4g	5.2g

Peas are less sensitive to frost than beans. You can start growing early in the year. An early culture is an advantage because the peas are susceptible to pests. If you start earlier, you can reduce the pest pressure a little.

Popular pea varieties
snow peas	wrinkled peas	shell peas
- Ambrosia – BluePod – Golden Sweet – Oregon Sugar Pod	- Sima – Wonders of Kelvedon	– Blauwshokker - Little Rhinelander

Tip: There are varieties of peas, such as the “Sima” variety, suitable for winter cultivation. Cultivation takes place in late autumn and the small plants easily survive frost and snow in winter.

Chickpeas

Chickpeas are mainly found in oriental cuisine. The most famous dish from it is “hummus”. They are not directly related to peas. The addition in this country is not common, although it is possible in the temperate climate. However, the yields are low, which is why large areas are required in the home garden.

calories	protein	carbohydrates	Fat	fiber
130 calories	9g	17g	2g	10g

lenses

Lentils are an emerging legume because they are often used as a meat substitute. Burger patties can be replaced with lentils, for example. The increases accordingly variety of lenses at. In addition to plate and beluga lentils, there are even special breeds in Europe, such as the Alb lentil, which are optimally adapted to the regional climate.

calories	protein	carbohydrates	Fat	fiber
260 calories	27g	55g	2.6g	8g

Lentils are not suitable as a culture in your own garden. They need a support to hold on to. Lentils are therefore usually grown together with various types of grain. They are harvested together and then separated. The complex harvesting process sometimes leads to high costs when shopping in the supermarket.

Popular lentil varieties
Albline	beluga lens	mountain lens
yellow lens	Green Lens	Red lens
Black lens	disc lens

soybeans

Although soy is rarely found directly on the plate, it is part of many dishes. Soy is best known in coagulated form as tofu. Similar to sugar snap peas, there are also types of soy that are suitable for eating when young, including the pod. The varieties are usually summarized under the term "Edamame".

calories	protein	carbohydrates	Fat	fiber
250 calories	37g	30g	20g	9g

Soybean is easy to grow, but you need larger areas in the garden to harvest significant quantities. A moderate basic fertilization before cultivation with about horn shavings is recommended. Soy is very dominant and weeds hardly stand a chance. This makes it easy to care for and tolerates longer dry periods without any problems.

Tip: In addition to white soy, there are also black soy types. If soy milk or tofu is made from it, it has a slightly purple color.

sweet lupine

The sweet lupine is a legume that is on the rise. It can be used in a variety of ways in the kitchen and is mainly offered ground as a flour substitute for those with gluten intolerance.

calories	protein	carbohydrates	Fat	fiber
340 calories	42g	13g	6g	38.4g

Sweet lupins were already an important source of food during the Egyptian civilization. Even Hildegard von Bingen appreciated the protein-rich legume. All you have to do when growing it is to give it a sunny spot. They also need a lot of space, but deliver a lot of yield. For a plant you need to plan an average space of 50×50 cm.

A notice: When buying the seeds, make sure that they are edible lupins. There are lupins also as ornamental plants, however, they are poisonous.

peanuts

Peanuts are part of many nut mixes and are high in fat. Botanically, the peanut is exciting because the fertilized flowers grow into the ground, where the fruits then ripen. Another special feature of the peanut is that although it has a nut fruit, since its pod is Maturation does not open independently, but due to their optical characteristics they still belong to the legumes heard.

calories	protein	carbohydrates	Fat	fiber
600 calories	25.3g	16g	48.1g	9g

The main growing areas of peanuts located in America, Africa and India. However, the peanut can be grown here with a good yield. It takes 200 days from seed to fruit maturity, so cultivation is only possible with an early preculture or in a sheltered greenhouse.

Compared to other legumes, the peanut benefits from good basic fertilization. The ground should always be kept clear so that the flowers are not prevented from growing into the ground by weeds.

A notice: The nutritional values ​​given in the text are average values ​​and refer partly to the fresh form, partly to the dry or cooked form.

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