Fresh lima beans (also called butter beans) are difficult to find in the United States, but can occasionally be found at farmers markets. It is easier to find lima beans in the southern United States than anywhere else in the country. Most lima beans are dried, canned, or frozen.

Lima beans come in three main varieties: large, small, and dwarf.

• Large lima beans are green or speckled. The speckled kind have a creamy texture and a strong earthy flavor, unlike the pale green ones.
• Small lima beans are also called sieva beans and have several other nicknames, such as Carolina bean, civet, seewee, and sivvy. Most small limas are pale green. 
  
• Dwarf beans, also known as butter peas, are white and speckled and the least starchy of the limas.

Why they're good for you

Lima beans are an excellent source of fat-free protein and are a great meat-replacement. A cup of lima beans contains 15 g of protein at only 216 calories.

Lima beans are also full of fiber. In addition to lowering cholesterol and helping to prevent heart disease, lima beans' high fiber content 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. Constipation is also helped by the high fiber content.

Lima beans also contain the trace mineral, molybdenum, which is helpful for detoxifying sulfites. Sulfites are a type of preservative commonly added to prepared foods like delicatessen salads. If you have ever reacted to sulfites with a rapid heartbeat, headache or disorientation, it may be because your molybdenum stores are insufficient to detoxify them. A cup of lima beans will give you 87 percent of the daily value for this helpful trace mineral.

How to eat

Fresh lima beans need to be shelled before they are eaten. Shelling can be a little tricky, especially with larger beans. Beans are easier to handle if they are tender and have full pods. One method used for larger beans is to simply cut open the pod with scissors and remove the beans by hand. To remove the beans from smaller limas, pull off the string along the seam, and press the two sides open to pop the beans out. Rinse canned limas before using them to reduce their gas-promoting properties.

Lima beans should never be eaten raw. The most common methods of preparation are boiling and microwaving. Only a small amount of water needs to be used for either method.

Try adding lima beans to a succotash or stew.

WARNING: Do not eat raw lima beans. They contain linamarin (also called cyanogen), which releases a cyanide compound when the seed coat is opened. However, cooking deactivates this compound. The United States sets regulations to restrict commercially grown lima beans to those varieties with very low levels of this linamarin, but lima beans grown elsewhere may have 20 to 30 times the concentration allowed in the United States.