Beans: An American Crop Consumed Around the World

摘要

Beans are a popular export for American farmers. Chris Capaul, a grower of baby lima beans in California, thinks it's partly due to household economics. "In my dad's day, if lower income families had a big bag of beans they could get through the winter. Now, many [Americans] don't cook, and bean growers have joined the world market." Capaul's exports to Japan are increasing, as the Japanese economy recovers from the devastating earthquake and tsunami of 2011. "They use lima beans in confections and for bean paste," he says.