One of the most widely available beans, lima beans come in two sizes: large, flat lima beans, called Fordhooks or "butter" beans, and baby limas, which are not really young lima beans but are a smaller, milder-tasting variety.

Both are sold frozen as well as dried and canned, though frozen lima beans are perhaps more prevalent and commonly consumed. There is wide variety of seed sizes, shapes, and color combinations among lima beans, although most of the lima beans currently grown in the U.S. are the butter and the baby lima bean. Baby lima beans are less starchy than the larger butter bean variety. Generally, the greener the inner bean, the better the texture and flavor.

North Carolina Butterbeans Growers/Shipper List

Cooling/Storage Requirements of North Carolina Butterbeans