Bean Count Contest #9

How many beans in this jar?

There are 3 types of beans:

• Red Dal
• Split Pea
• Brown Lentil

The Rules

• The jar of beans is at the plant-based booth at the Davis Farmers' Market every Saturday (weather permitting) from 8:00-1:00 in the non-profit/community area.
• It is free to guess (estimate) the number of beans in the jar. You can update your guess by submitting another one.
• The contest will end when there are 70 or 80 guesses. It will then take a little while to carefully count the beans.
• The 4 guesses that are closest (above or below) to the final count will win the prizes. Ties will be resolved by a complex objective algorithm and (if needed) a coin toss. The winners will be notified and the results will be posted on this web site.

  Everyone will receive a message - win or lose.

The Prizes

1. $50 gift certificate at the Davis Food Co-op at 620 G Street.
2. $30 gift certificate at Trader Joe's at 885 Russell Blvd.
3. Cool Beans - bean cookbook by Joe Yonan, published by Ten Speed Press in 2020.
4. The Great Vegan Bean Book - bean cookbook by Kathy Hester, published by Fair Winds Press in 2013.

The Guesses (aka Estimates)

Several people carefully analyzed, counted, measured, and multiplied. Others made a 'wild ass guess' by gut instinct and intuition. Estimation is a difficult art.

Bar graph of the guesses:

< 200 **
< 600 *
< 700 **
< 900 *
<1000 ***
<1200 **
<1300 *
<1400 **
<1500 **
<1600 **
<1700 *
<1900 ***
<2000 **
<2100 *****
<2200 ***
<2400 ***
<2500 ***
<2600 ***
<2700 **
<2800 *
<2900 **
<3000 *
<3100 **
<3200 *
<3300 *
<3400 **
<3800 **
<3900 *
<4100 *
<4200 *
<4300 *
<4600 ****
<4800 *
<5100 **
<5400 *
<5600 *
<5700 *
<6100 *

Here are all the guesses - with people's names abbreviated to the first 3 characters of their first and last names.

In guess numerical order

In alphabetical order by name

The Final Count

Red Dal	1763
Split Pea	127
Brown Lentil	556
Total	2446

The Winners

Off By	Guess	Name	Prize
40	2486	Xuesi Yue	$50 Gift Certificate at the Co-op
41	2487	Jazlan	$30 Gift Certificate at Trader Joe's
46	2400	Milts Eng	Cool Beans cookbook
54	2500	Kristen	The Great Vegan Bean Book cookbook

The Beans

Red lentils are part of the legume family and have a mild, nutty flavor and a soft, creamy texture when cooked. As their name suggests, red lentils have a reddish-orange color. One of the benefits that sets red lentils apart is that they cook quickly compared to other types of lentils.

Split Pea

Green and yellow split peas are commonly used to make pea soup or "split pea soup", and sometimes pease pudding, which was commonly prepared in medieval Europe. Peas have also been used as a common ingredient as part of plant milk, especially for the high content of protein that pea-based plant milk provides over alternatives such as plant milks made from soy, oats, almonds, or other varieties. Cheese from Peas - has been developed by researchers from the University of Nottingham and spin-out company The Good Pulse Company. Yellow split peas are naturally high in protein, so "Cheese from Peas" is higher in protein than conventional vegan cheese.

Brown Lentil

From Wikipedia: The lentil (Vicia lens or Lens culinaris) is an annual legume grown for its lens-shaped edible seeds, also called lentils. It is about 40 cm (16 in) tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each. Lentil seeds are used around the world for culinary purposes. In cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, where lentils are a staple, split lentils (often with their hulls removed) known as dal are often cooked into a thick curry that is usually eaten with rice or roti. Lentils are commonly used in stews and soups.

Questions?