Cultivated red are sub-erect bush-like annuals about 13 inches to several feet tall. The plant bears pods less than 6 inches long, each containing 10 to 12 seeds. In commercial growing, premium canning-quality beans bring the highest prices, so care is taken to preserve the appearance of the seeds during harvest. Mature plants are cut off at the root and hung in frames to dry prior to removing the seeds from the pods at cleaning facilities. After cleaning, the quality of the seeds is graded and they are sold into market channels.
Phaseolus Vulgaris
Red kidney beans are one of over 500 varieties of Phaseolus vulgaris. Red kidney beans are native to South America and entered North America from the Caribbean. They are cultivated worldwide and can be expected to be successful at altitudes up to 3,600 feet. In California's Sacramento Valley, planting season for both light red and dark red is from late April to early June and harvesting is in September or October. California dark red kidneys are generally canned and light reds are dried for market.
New Cultivars
Red kidney beans grow on about 35,000 acres in the U.S. and light reds are grown on 60,000 acres. New varieties are frequently announced. As examples: In 1996, Doane, Hagedorn et al received U.S. patent 5557036 for a dark red kidney bean that improved on varieties generally cultivated. The new bean exhibited resistance to root rot and angular leaf rot and maintained high quality during canning. In "Registration of 'fiero' Dark Red Kidney Bean" in January 2005 Crop Science, Hang and Silbernagel et al announced USDA Agriculture Research Center's new high-yield cultivar adapted for production in Idaho, Oregon and Washington State and resistant to diseases such as root rot and beet curly top virus.
Montcalm Cultivar
Montcalm cultivar was announced by the University of Michigan in 1961 and became the canned dark red variety served at most salad bars. The bush is about 13 inches in height and yields seed pods of less than 5 inches. Montcalm was developed by conventional breeding, but DNA technology led to Montcalm germplasm being bred into new cultivars for disease resistance and other improvements that will be necessary as bean cultivation worldwide continues to be pushed toward less fertile soil.
Minnesota
In the mid-1960s, dry bean production launched commercially in Minnesota, which now grows 70 percent of annual U.S. production of dark red kidney beans. Most of Minnesota's kidney beans are exported. Production is scattered across 41 counties with the largest concentration of acreage in the Red River Valley. By 2007, more than 500 Minnesota farms were involved in dry bean production.
Don't Eat Raw or Crock Pot
Raw kidney beans and bean sprouts contain lectin, a glycoprotein that can bind to sugars in membranes, causing changes in the membrane that lead to agglutination (clumping of cells) and mitosis (cell division). In the digestive tract, they bind to intestinal cells and block absorption. An episode of red bean poisoning lasts about four hours, beginning with nausea and severe vomiting and proceeding to diarrhea. Hospitalization is rarely necessary. The kidney bean lectin (phytohaemagglutinin) is destroyed by thorough boiling for about 10 minutes, after which water should be discarded and replaced before cooking. Red kidney beans are not appropriate for crock pot cooking.
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