Hyacinth beans, lobia or dolichos - a plant,related to the legume family. This ancient cultural annual plant in the wild does not occur. Dolihos does not like cold weather, and the best temperature for cultivation is about +18 degrees Celsius around the clock. That is why it was most widely spread in the warm zones of Asia and Africa. However, with the same success, dolichos is grown in the temperate climate of southern Ukraine, Moldavia, Western Europe, Central Asia, and Transcaucasia. The dolichos has a curly stalk, which can reach a height of 1-1.5 meters. On the stem are many large triple leaves. The flowers are large, may be reddish, purple or white, arranged by racemose inflorescences. Beans are large, up to 9 centimeters long, curved, with three or four seeds. Hyacinth beans, the photos of which you see in the article, enrich the soil with nitrogen, since nitrogen-fixing nodule bacteria settle on well-developed roots. In early ripening varieties, the vegetative period lasts up to ninety days, in late-ripening varieties it lasts up to one hundred and sixty days. Dolichos is not fastidious and, in principle, grows well on any soils, but it is preferable to use weakly acidic or neutral soils. From one square meter you can collect 200-300 grams of harvest.
There are two ways to grow dolichosa. In the soil can be planted seedlings or seeds at once. In the south, the second method is usually used. After the warm weather is established, for example, at the end of spring, the seeds are planted immediately into the soil. Before this, the seeds can be soaked for several hours. When sowing seeds from each other should be laid out at a distance of not less than thirty centimeters. As soon as three leaves appear, the plant can be pinched, then lateral twigs will appear and a blossoming will come. In a poorly warm climate, hyacinth beans, which are best grown by seedlings, are planted in jars and boxes in early April. After about 35 days, young seedlings are planted in the open ground, and immediately it is necessary to put the support, since by this time the height of the plant will be 15 cm. It blossoms and fructifies constantly, until the onset of cold weather. In hot weather, hyacinth beans should be watered often, but moderately, without pouring. Dolihos loves fertilizers, most of all potash. During the sprouting season, it is necessary to apply nitrogen fertilizers in the ratio of 10 grams per square meter, and during the formation of buds, full mineral fertilizers are introduced in the same ratio. Avoid adding fresh manure to the soil, as you will not get anything other than leaves.
Hyacinth beans are very unusual, plump,round, black or cream color. Usually used in soups, in salads, as an independent dish or as a side dish to the main course. Perfectly combine with vegetables, rice, seafood, spices. They reminiscent of the taste of a string bean. In food, both dry beans and fresh green pods are used, which can be frozen for the winter. Seeds contain 60% of carbohydrates, 28% of proteins, 3% of fats, 8% of minerals. In addition, hyacinth beans also have a medical value - they are used to produce plant agglutinins, which are used to determine the blood group.
