Green Beans

I know it’s a little past green bean season, but this is to help you get ready for next year. Beans are low in sodium, and very low in saturated fat and cholesterol. They are a good source of protein, lots of vitamins, and a very good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, folate and manganese.

We tried three different varieties this year – a bush bean because they come on first, a pole bean and a very nice Italian flat pod bean that was very prolific and tasty.

 Pole Beans

Italian Flat Pod

We plant the bush beans in the same bed as the soy beans and the peas. This adds a ton of nitrogen to the soil and we’ll plant the potatoes there next year. We plant the pole beans and the Italian beans on trellises over the onions. They seem to get along well together.

Green beans are some of the last things to be planted in the spring, along with the squash and corn. They like nice warm soil so that the little bean seeds don’t rot in the ground. Plant them in raised beds in composted soil about 2-3” apart in rows about 12” apart. You can thin them later.

Beans are great for little kids because you can almost see them pop up out of the ground when the weather is warm.

When the beans start producing, and they are big enough to pick (at first, we pick them fairly young and small so they are very tender), start picking. The more you pick, the more they produce. And you need to pick about every other day; sometimes you have to pick every day, or they’ll get too big and tough.

After picking, you can steam them and add some fresh herbs when they are drained. You can add them to soups and stews. You can sauté them with some onions and bacon.

You can freeze them for later:

FREEZING GREEN BEANS

Use freshly picked green beans. Snap off the stem end. Leave the beans whole or break into pieces, depending on the size. Bring water to a rolling boil and add the beans. Boil them for 3 minutes then immediately take them out and put in a bowl of ice water. Stir and let them sit for 3 minutes. Drain and put in freezer containers. In the winter, make a pot of soup or stew and add them at the end of cooking. Comfort food!



We made this recipe a lot this summer. Green beans and zucchini are ripe at the same time so this was a fabulous way to use both.
 

Zucchini, Green Beans, Garlic (FoodNetwork)

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 zucchini sliced into 1/2 inch half moons
1/2 pound green beans washed and trimmed
6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1/2 cup chicken stock
Salt and crushed red pepper flakes
Grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for garnish

In a skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the zucchini, green beans, garlic, and chicken stock. Season with salt and red pepper flakes. Cover and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, or until green beans are tender.

Transfer to serving platter and garnish with Pecorino Romano cheese.

These are some favorites too:

BULGARIAN GREEN BEANS

2-3 sliced onions    

1/3 c. olive oil    

1 lb. washed and broken green beans     

2 thinly sliced carrots  

4 tomatoes, quartered 

2 chopped green peppers

Herbs to taste  

Paprika to taste                   

Sauté onions and peppers in oil. Sprinkle with paprika, add beans and carrots. Simmer 15 minutes. Add tomatoes. Simmer 15 more minutes. Sprinkle with herbs. Serves 4-6 

SAUTEED GREEN BEANS AND ONIONS

1 lb. green beans    

4 bacon slices    

1 (16 oz) bottle cocktail onions, drained       

2 tsp. sugar

½ tsp. thyme

1 ½ tsp. cider vinegar  

¾ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper                                                                 

Cook beans in boiling water about 4 minutes till crisp-tender. Rinse in cold water, drain, pat dry. Cook bacon till crisp, crumble, reserve drippings. Add onions to dripping, cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sugar and thyme; cook 3 minutes till onions are golden brown. Add beans; cook 2 minutes. Add vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir. Stir in bacon. About 8 servings.  

I think there must be people somewhere who are eating those nasty green beans out of a can. Let me take this opportunity to encourage you, if you are, to stop immediately. There is help for you. You can break the cycle of disgusting vegetable-like products. If you can’t grow green beans – and I bet you can – you can find someone who can or go to your local farmers’ market. Green beans do not taste like the stuff that comes out of a can. I don’t know what that is or where it comes from, but real fresh green beans taste fabulous – give them a try.