Beans are easy to grow, easy to cook, delicious, nourishing and beneficial for us and the planet.

Growing your own beans not only helps you build healthy soil in your garden, it also provides you with a nutrient-rich diet. Beans can play a role in reducing the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer – they are good sources of protein, fibre, folate, iron and potassium – and they can reduce your carbon footprint and food miles as well!

This fascinating book brings together Susan Young’s 10 years of experimentation with multiple varieties of beans. She clearly explains how to sow, grow, harvest, dry, store and cook them, and shares her six ‘must grow’ varieties.

Go on a tasty culinary journey around the world and discover a range of colourful and historic beans, from the pink ‘Fagiolo di Lamon’ of Italy to the black and white ‘Bosnian Pole’ bean. Learn which varieties are best for eating fresh from the pod and those that are best for drying and storing for later use.

Beans offer year-round nutritious meals, and dried beans can be the star of the show with their fabulous diversity of flavours, colours and textures.