Grow Red Kidney Beans

Red Kidney beans are an incredibly healthy choice to include in your garden. Not only are they a rich source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, they contain a significant amount of antioxidants, folic acid, vitamin B6 and magnesium. Because of their high fiber content, eating red kidney beans prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia. And, a cup of cooked kidney beans provides 45.3 percent of the recommended daily intake for fiber.

There are many varieties of red kidney beans to select for your garden such as California dark red kidney, montcalm, mecosta and charlevoix.  Charlevoix can be more maintenance to grow as this specific variety is more prone to viruses and bacteria.

Growing red kidney beans is easy and rewarding. Here are 5 steps to having delicious red kidney beans:

Step 1: Start planting your red kidney beans after the frost.  Mid May is a good time to begin. Choose an area of your garden that receives full sun. The soil will need good drainage. One cup of organic fertilizer should be prepared with the soil for every 10-foot row you plant.

Step 1: The seeds need to be planted in 1-inch deep rows, that are 18 inches apart. Avoid watering plants from overhead. Consider using drip irrigation or you can slow-soak the soil. In the best-case scenario, you may see about an 85 percent germination success rate.

Step 1: In about 8 to 16 days, you will see the seeds sprout. The rows should be thinned at this point, keeping the strongest plants with a 3-inch distance between one another. Make certain there is enough room around each plant for good circulation, which will help prevent disease.

Step 1: Keep a close eye on your plants. When the pods start to dry out, discontinue watering them. When the seedpods are the color of straw, they are ready for harvesting. Hang the entire plant from the roots to dry.

Step 1: Raw red kidney beans coming directly from the soil contain a toxic substance which can cause illness in humans. To prevent getting ill, red kidney beans should be soaked for at least 5 hours, drained and then boiled for 10 minutes prior to cooking with or eating.

Some ideas on how to serve your red kidney beans:

Combine cooked red kidney beans with white and black beans to make a colorful three bean salad. Toss in some cubed tomatoes and chopped scallions. Mix a dressing with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Combine together and served chilled for a healthy summertime meal or side salad.

Using a food processor or blender, mix cooked kidney beans with garlic, cumin and chili peppers for a spread that can be used as a vegetable dip, sandwich filling or on wholewheat crackers.

Make vegetarian tacos or burritos by using kidney beans in place of ground meat.

Toss some kidney beans on top of cornbread with some grated cheese.  Heat it until the cheese melts.  This is great served with spicy salsa dipping sauce.