Listen, all I’m saying is that when They Draw and Cook announced their Beans and Pulses call for art, they had to know they were going to get at least one reference to the classic “Beans Beans the Magical Fruit” song.

I didn’t set out to create something Beavis and Butthead would be proud of… it’s just how my brain is wired. I knew I wanted to beef up my portfolio with something more editorial, and I have (or, had) exactly zero examples of infographics to share with potential freelance illustration clients, so I decided to focus on that aspect of the beans project. As I started researching facts about beans, the age-old chant started running through my head – like a constant dull murmur in the back of my mind – beans beans the magical fruit the more you eat the more you toot – and I decided to see if I could come up with a way to work it into my illustrated infographic that made sense and was still educational.

This project was the help bring up awareness about beans, and how important they are, in conjunction with the U.S. Dry Bean Council and World Pulses Day on February 10, 2020. Pulses was a new word to me – it basically means dry beans. The format for uploading art to They Draw and Cook is very horizontal, which is great for recipe illustration but not quite as standard for infographic sharing, so I decided to reformat my beans beans the magical fruit piece to be more vertical as well to encourage more sharing across the internets.

I know there’s alternate lyrics to “beans beans the magical fruit” – you can also sing that it’s the musical fruit, because the more you eat, the more you toot. But because I was trying to educate on all the great things about eating beans, I wanted to play up that they’re almost like magic, they’re so good for you!

Did you know the US is 6th in the world for producing beans, and that 20% of the beans we grow here are exported to other countries? This nutritionally complete food came into popularity during World War II because it’s inexpensive and super healthy! They are low in fat, high in protein, and can lower your risk of heart disease!

We always soak beans overnight to make bean soup in our house, but I was excited to find out you can also cook them in your Instant Pot to make that process go faster!

What’s your favorite way to eat beans? Do you sing the song beans beans the magical fruit or musical fruit?