Featured Produce | Summer Quarterly 2020
Featured Produce: Green Beans
Ever wonder why green beans are called "beans" when there is no bean is sight? Green beans are the unripe or literally "green" stage of shell beans. If left to grow, they dry and produce edible beans. Instead, they are picked and eaten fresh, while immature, before the beans have developed in the pod.
The fibrous string that was once found running the length of the seam of the bean pod has mostly been bred out. That is why the beans are now more commonly known as green beans rather than string beans. Because they can be snapped in half easily, they are sometimes called snap beans.
Green beans are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese. They are a good source of vitamin A, dietary fiber, potassium, folate, magnesium, iron, calcium, phosphorus, copper, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids. They provide valuable amounts of silicon (a mineral), as well as carotenoids and antioxidants.
Not all green beans are green. You can find other colors at the farmers’ market, like purple and pink-striped beans. The yellow beans, also called "wax beans" are sometimes a little milder, but otherwise all colors taste pretty much the same.
Purchase green beans loose (rather than prepacked) when possible so you can choose the freshest ones. Fresh green beans will feel fleshy, smooth, and firm. Avoid limp, wrinkled beans and those with rusty ends or scarring.
Beans should be a vibrant green, with no brown spots or bruises. Buy uniformly sized beans for consistent cooking time. For best texture, choose slender beans, no thicker than a pencil. Seeds should not be visible (or barely visible) through the pod.
Store beans unwashed and in a perforated plastic bag or a vegetable bag in the refrigerator crisper for up to a week. To use, remove both ends of the bean by snapping or cutting. Then use whole or cut crosswise or diagonally.
Use up those green beans from the garden, farmers’ market or Co-op and make this easy Three Bean Salad with Bacon.
