What are legumes? Have a look in the supermarket, and you can find them in the vegetable section, the canned food section, deli, and also in the frozen food section. They are the different varieties of peas and beans that we often call vegetables. However, unlike other greens, seeds from legumes form in a pod.

Dried seeds of legumes are further categorized into pulses. Just think of legumes as the entire plant and fruit. And pulses as the dried harvested seeds.

Check your cupboard, fridge or freezer, and you'll probably find a few of these pod bearing fruits. Mung beans, soybeans, snap peas and broad beans are all examples. No matter what part of the world you are from, you'll probably eat these superfoods without even knowing it. Legumes or the dried beans (pulses) are good sources of protein and carbohydrates. They also happen to taste great and can be easily, frozen, or died.

Legumes are grown for several reasons. The main reason is for food. The fruits are eaten fresh and put in salads. Often the dried seeds are boiled or stewed. Dried peas and beans are commonly known pulses, store well and have been used in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East for thousands of years.

Alfalfa is widely grown for summer forage for livestock. It provides animals with a valuable source of protein and energy. Since legumes have a high energy source, farmers may feed these crops to fatten cattle and sheep before putting their animals to market. Legume crops are sometimes fed to dairy cows to increase milk production.

Another beneficial legume for pasture is clover. Clover can grow in poor soil and often remains green while other grasses burn off. Clover also increases soil fertility and structure. This reduces the need for fertilizers.

In many parts of the world, the soil is often too dry for grass to grow in summer. A lack of water limits intensive farming in many countries. However, some legumes are drought-tolerant such as lablab and cowpeas. Farmers can grow drought-tolerant legumes crops in places that have dry soils such as Africa and Australia to provide food for livestock.

Legumes are often used for crop rotation to rest the soil. Over cropping or monoculture can result in reduced yield and an increase in diseases and pests. Legumes crops are a perfect crop rotation choice as they have nitrogen-fixing bacteria on their roots.

Farmers growing a root crop such as potatoes may grow a leaf crop the following year. These crops are sold to consumers or fed to livestock, bailed into hay, or made into silage. Many farmers and home gardeners dig legumes back into the soil to improve soil structure and add nutrients.

In home-gardens, lupins and mustard are often grown together in vegetable gardens to fallow the soil. Some home gardeners dig lupins, and mustard into the before planting a crop of vegetables.

Gardeners do this not only to increase the nitrogen but also to improve the soil structure. It also suppresses weed growth before planting.