Green Beans
OSGF
Plant Family: Fabaceae
Latin Name: Phaseolus vulgaris
Varieties We Grow: Tobago, Celine
Storage: Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Green beans (or snap/string beans) originated in Central and South America and are now cultivated all over the world. Green beans have a sweet, grassy flavor and can be prepared a variety of ways, including raw. Green beans do benefit from a few extra steps before eating, but it’s not necessary. Stringing, which is the process of removing the fibrous string that lines the bean prior to cooking, will improve the taste and texture of your beans. If you choose to not string your beans, the beans will need longer to cook and may have a tougher texture. Green beans can be steamed, sauteed, stewed or roasted, and they work well raw in salads.
At the BCCF, we save seed from green beans; for example, in 2022, we saved seed from Wild Goose and Turkey Craw beans, both of which have very interesting histories. To do so, we let the bean pods reach maturity on the plant and pick the yellowed pods in the Fall. Once the pods are dried, we can extract the seeds/beans from the pods and either save for seed or eating.
Recipes
Simple Skillet Green Beans: https://www.healthyseasonalrecipes.com/simple-skillet-green-beans/
Green Bean Salad with Toasted Almonds and Feta: https://cookieandkate.com/green-bean-salad-recipe/
Green Bean Recipes by BBC: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/green-bean-recipes