Lima Bean Fest fills Oxnard Historic Farm Park
Tracy Lehr
OXNARD, Calif. (KEYT) – The second annual Lima Bean Fest took place at the Oxnard Historic Farm Park.
People had a chance to buy a handful of lima beans that could be used for a Lima Bean Tasting Contest.
Those taking part saved their last bean to vote.
The jar with the most beans on the voting table wins the Lima Bean trophy.
Twisted Oak Tavern in Camarillo served up a dish to defend its title.
Spanish Hills Country Club served Lima bean humus that is now on the menu.
Adolfo Grill and BGs Cafe also took part.
Oxnard was once called the Lima Bean Capital of the World.
Paul Thomas said his father was a lima bean farmer.
“I think it is bigger than last year, is it yeah, and it looks really good I’ve tastes the lima beans last year at the first one and this is great to see,” said Thomas.
Thomas grew up with author and Oxnard Historic Farm Park Director Jeffrey Maulhardt who joked about not liking them all the time as a kid.
“We ate lima beans all the time. Paul Thomas’ dad was a big lima bean farmer, every time I went to their house we had lima beans for me. I liked them but I got sick of them because I ate them so often,” said Maulhardt,” but I eat them again now, twice a month, that way I get the protein that you need and the magnesium, good for people who don’t have good brain function so I figure the more I have the better for me.”
The fest had lima bean bag cornhole,too.
Visitors also had a chance to check out the farm equipment including a stationery lima beam threshing machine last used in Nipomo.
The Ventura County Landmark is located at 1251 Gottfried Place is on the Gottfried Maulhardt Farm that is in the National Register of Historic Places.
For more information visit https://oxnardfarmpark.org