Name: _______________________________		Hour: ________

Legumes are members of the ______________ or bean family.  The legumes are categorized by their reproductive structures and root structure.  Most of the legumes are ___________ possessing two cotyledons.  The fruit is a _______ (or legume) with one row of seeds.  The seeds are an important food crop because they are high in ______ and ____________ .  Legumes are higher in _________ than any other plant.  The root structures have unique ‘swollen’ structures called _____________ that contain _____________ fixing bacteria that enable the plants to produce high quality proteins.  Farmers often capitalize on this feature and use legumes in crop ____________ because of their ability to return ________________ to the soil.  Sometimes, farmers will not harvest a legumes crop and simple plow it under as “Green” ___________.

Legumes boast several popular members within their family.  One of the oldest and most common food crops is the __________.  Many varieties such as: ____________,  _________,  _________,  _________, _________,   ______, and ___________ beans to name a few.  Beans are __________ season annuals.  Peas have also been cultivated for centuries and include varieties like:  __________,  __________,  ________________, ____________, ___________,  and ________________ (garbanzos).  Peas are grown during _____________ seasons.  

Peanuts are one of the more unique legumes and are originally native to __________  ________________.  The peanut has become the staple crop of the ____________.  After pollination, the flower stalk elongates downward and pushes the developing ___________ underground.  
A typical pod contains ___________ seeds.  The whole growing cycle takes __________ months.  The United States grows two varieties of peanuts: the larger ____________ peanut and the smaller _____________ peanut.  The versatility of peanut is due largely to the scientific work of _______________
____________  who developed more than 300 uses for peanuts.  Peanut butter, however, was invented in __________ by a St. Louis physician.

Although soybeans were introduced to the United States in 1765, there was little interest in them until the 1920’s.  Soybeans cannot be consumed _________.  Once soybeans are cooked they are modified into a __________, _________, or ____________.  Bean curd, or _________,is prepared from the curds of soy milk.  Overall, soybeans have a higher protein content than lean ________.
Once the oil is removed from the soybean, the soy _________ that remains is made into a ___________.  The average American consumer uses _____ gallons of soy oil in a year.  The common food additive ___________ is used in many products to stabilize them and extend their shelf life.  The ___________ tree is becoming a popular as a fast growing tree that returns nitrogen to the soil.

The legumes best known as a forage crop is _______________.