Celebrated on January 6th every year, National Bean Day is a day that honors beans. It’s also the day that Gregory Mendel died in 1884. Gregor Mendel was a scientists and Augustine friar who bred pea plants and bean plants and whose experiments would eventually form the basis of modern genetics. Which makes it a great day to either commemorate the life of Gregory Mendel or to honor the versatile bean – your choice!

History of National Bean Day

As far as our research has shown, National Bean Day is a holiday which was invented by Paula Bowen as a way to honor her father who was a pinto farmer. Supposedly, she picked January because not a lot of holidays are celebrated this month. While more and more people are beginning to celebrate it, it isn’t a confirmed holiday. Which means that businesses, the post office and government buildings will remain open on this day.

Lean, Mean Bean Facts

• Beans have been a part of the human diet for thousands of years
• Beans are one of the earliest food crops
• There are over 40,000 different bean varieties in the world
• The top bean producing states in the U.S are North Dakota, Michigan and Nebraska
• 40 tons of baked beans are eaten in Great Britain every hour
• The average American only eats one-fourth of the beans that an average Briton does

Celebrating National Bean Day

National Bean Day can be celebrated in a number of different ways. You can simply use the day to enjoy your favorite bean recipe or to try out a new variety of bean. You can send friends and family bean related greeting cards or you can plant beans in your backyard garden.

It’s also a good day to honor the contribution of Gregor Mendel through a lecture, a presentation or a book report. And if you really want to celebrate the day, you can always use brightly painted beans to make some bean art.