Grandson curious about beans

I usually ask my daughter if she needs anything when I talk to her. Most of the time she says she doesn’t but once in awhile she will ask for the most unusual things. Today was one of those occasions.
She asked for jumping beans.
I haven’t seen those things sold in years and years. When I was a child, the girl down the street had some. We played with them for a day or so then forgot all about them. I haven’t thought about them since.
Somehow my daughter’s four-year-old, Jacob, had stumbled across the term and asked his mom if jumping beans were real. He was skeptical when she told him they were. He then asked if you could eat them. His mom told him that if he did they would jump around inside of him. For the record, they won’t, but they shouldn’t be eaten even though they are considered to be non-toxic.
Jumping beans are native to Mexico, which is why you’ve never heard of Indiana jumping beans, only Mexican ones. They grow in the mountains in the states of Sonora, Sinaloa, and Chihuahua. Álamos, Sonora, styles itself the “Jumping Bean Capital of the World.” I didn’t even know there was a jumping bean capital of the world until I looked it up.
In spring, a female moth lays her eggs on the flowers of a shrub with the botanical name of Sebastiana Pavoniana. The bushy plants, which are said to be poisonous, are in the same family as poinsettias. After the eggs hatch, the larva works its way into the pod of the flower. These pods split and fall to the ground. They look a lot like beans although they are not related to beans at all.
The larva inside moves around, causing the beans to “jump,” thus enabling them to move in an effort to get out of the hot sun. After several months of munching on its home and hopping around, the larva spins a cocoon inside the pod and eventually emerges as a rather nondescript brownish moth called Cydia deshaisiana. While the larva can live quite happily within the bean for months at a time, the mature moth lives for only a few days.
When buying jumping beans, try to get ones that are a bit greenish. If you shake one and hear a rattle, put it back. This indicates that the critter inside has died or turned into a pupa. In either case, they won’t jump. If you have a live one it should begin to move when held in the warmth of the hands. They never, ever jump as high as they do in the cartoons.
Mexican jumping beans were common in the 1950’s and can still be found on the handy-dandy internet and possibly other places. They are commonly sold in packs of four, the better to ensure that at least one of the creatures will perform as desired.
In researching this, I found out that they appreciate a good soaking once or twice a month. They should be soaked for about three hours in chlorine-free water to mimic the weather of their natural habitat. Honestly, I have never known anyone who has kept them that long.
Jumping beans have been featured in many cartoons. These are usually eaten by mistake and the character’s body will then jump and jerk uncontrollably. Popeye, Scooby Doo, Bubble Guppies and even Garfield have used the beans for comic effect. The only one of these that I know Jacob has seen is Bubble Guppies. Perhaps that is why he asked his mom if they were real.
Thanks to my husband, a package of Mexican jumping beans is on its way to Houston to entertain a new generation of children. Jacob will see for himself that they are real. I just hope he isn’t disappointed that they don’t jump as high as they do in the cartoons. I also hope he doesn’t feed them to his little brother to see  if they will make him jump.[[In-content Ad]]