BEANS

Image of different varieties of dried beans.

Beans are part of the legume family and have been cultivated in the Americas for about six thousand years. Beans are a good source of potassium, a mineral important for proper heart function. Beans are also rich in iron, which is vital for your blood to transport oxygen throughout your body. Not only are they great for your health, but they also improve the land they are grown in by adding nitrogen to the soil.

Green beans, sometimes called snap beans or string beans, are not a legume. They originally came from South and Central America. There are over 130 different varieties of green beans. Some of them are green and others can be purple, gold, and more. Green beans are grown and harvested fresh in Minnesota from June through September. 

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

Classroom Introduction Slides - Beans

Explore and download Harvest of the Month lessons and activities: 

Grades K-5

Grades 6-8

Grades 9-12 (coming soon!)

PROMOTION

Communication Toolkit (coming soon)

Factsheet (to download & print)

Printed Materials - order free copies here 

Image of a poster showing two hands opening a bean pod. Text says "Grown near you, served near you" and "Check your cafeteria for mn grown beans"

Poster: Elementary

image of dried red kidney beans. Text says "good for more than just your kidney" and "try healthy Minnesota grown bean today"

Poster: Secondary

image of dried beans in burlap sacks with the Minnesota grown logo at the bottom. Text says "beans"

Salad Bar Cling

image of a round sticker that says "I tried tasty MN beans today" with a drawing of a kidney bean and the Minnesota Harvest of the Month Logo at the bottom.

Sticker

VIDEO