Bean Count Contest #15

How many beans in this jar?

There are 3 types of beans:

• Mung Beans
• Black Beans
• Baby Lima Beans

The Rules

• The jar of beans is at the plant-based booth at the Davis Farmers' Market every Saturday (weather permitting) from 8:00-1:00 in the non-profit/community area.
• It is free to guess (estimate) the number of beans in the jar. You can update your guess by submitting another one.
• The contest will end when there are more than 70 or 80 guesses. It will then take a little while to carefully count the beans.
• The 3 guesses that are closest (above or below) to the final count will win the prizes. Ties will be resolved by a complex objective algorithm and (if needed) a coin toss. The winners will be notified and the results will be posted on this web site.

  Everyone will receive a message - win or lose.

The Prizes

1. $50 Gift Certificate at the Co-op at 620 G Street
2. $30 Gift Certificate at the Co-op at 620 G Street
3. Your choice of several plant-based cookbooks.

Plant-based Cookbooks

• The Help Yourself Cookbook for Kids - Ruby Roth
• Plant-based Cooking for Kids - Faith Goimarac Ralphs
• The Great Vegan Bean Book - Kathy Hester
• Cool Beans - Joe Yonan
• Forks Over Knives, The Cookbook - Del Sroufe

The Guesses (aka Estimates)

Several people carefully analyzed, counted, measured, and multiplied. Others made a 'wild ass guess' by gut instinct and intuition. Estimation is a difficult art.

Bar graph of the guesses:

< 100 *
< 200 **********
< 300 ***************************************
< 400 ***********************************************
< 500 ***********************************************
< 600 *********************
< 700 **************
< 800 *******
< 900 *****
<1000 ***
<1100 **
<1300 *
<1400 *
<1900 *
<8600 *

Here are all the guesses - with people's names abbreviated to the first 3 characters of their first and last names.

In guess numerical order

In alphabetical order by name

The Final Count

Mung Beans	104
Black Beans	115
Baby Lima Beans	268
Total	487

The Winners

Off By	Guess	Name	Prize
5	492	Paxton Lewis	$40 Gift Certificate at the Co-op at 620 G Street
5	492	Heather Halog	$40 Gift Certificate at the Co-op at 620 G Street
6	481	Anna Hetmankova	Your choice of several plant-based cookbooks.

The Beans and Recipes

Mung beans (Vigna radiata) are small green beans in the legume family that have been cultivated since ancient times. Native to India, they later spread to China and various parts of Southeast Asia. These beans have a slightly sweet taste and are sold fresh, as sprouts, or as dried beans. They're highly nutritious and versatile, typically eaten in salads, soups, and stir-fries. 101 Cookbooks: 10 Recipes with Mung Beans

Black Beans

Native to the Americas and beloved in Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, and the American Southwest. Earthy and meaty, they turn everything they touch an inky purplish black. Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Baby Lima Beans

The lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) has a long and distinguished history that might surprise those of us who know it only as a humble ingredient of succotash. The most important member [of the wild bean species group] is P. lunatus, the moon-shaped or the lima bean. Its name does come from the Peruvian capital of Lima, even though perversely it is pronounced 'lime-uh' in English. It is among the largest of beans and for those who were subjected to them in the form of canned limas, the memory of their pasty texture, bitter metallic aftertaste and lurid green color can only evoke the gag reflex. This is a pity, for when fresh or even dried they are among the most pleasant and affable of beans, hulking in proportions, gentle and sweet. Creamy Butter Beans - Holy Cow Vegan

Questions?