(Updated with better photos, plus instructions for using either dried or canned beans, February 2014.) If you're someone who might be inclined to turn up your nose at the mention of lima beans, stay with me for a minute here. I first made this soup with Florida Butter Beans, (a type of heirloom baby lima bean, also known as Calico Pole Beans) that I bought in San Francisco from Rancho Gordo Beans. The Florida Butter Beans are creamy and delicious, and if you can find those (or something similar) I highly recommend making this soup starting with dried beans that you've soaked overnight. But when I decided this recipe *must* have an updated photo, I decided to try it with canned butter beans from the supermarket, and I was happily surprised at how good it was that way too. If you still can't wrap your mind around the idea of butter beans or lima beans, try the soup with a different type of white bean!
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