Celebrated on January 6th every year, National Bean Day honors beans. It’s also the day that Gregor Mendel died in 1884. Gregor Mendel was a scientist and Augustinian friar who bred pea plants and bean plants, and his experiments would eventually form the basis of modern genetics. This makes it a great day to either commemorate the life of Gregor 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 that was invented by Paula Bowen as a way to honor her father, who was a pinto bean farmer. Supposedly, she picked January because not many 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 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.