Where have you bean?
Do you know where those green beans you're about to purchase were grown? There are a few local farms in New Jersey that grow green beans and as a food blogger, I strongly suggest we support our local farmers. There's Witchwood Farms, CSA Washington, Apache Downs Farm, Farm Monroeville, Cheyenne's Road Market, Farm Mount Laurel, FAR Wind Farm LLC, Farm Williamstown, Slope Brook Farm, Inc., Farm Colts Neck, Alstede Farms, CSA Chester, Matarazzo's Farm, North Caldwell, just to name a few. All grow delicious veggies and this time of year a number of them are harvesting green beans.
The green bean was introduced to the Mediterranean upon the return of Columbus from his second voyage to the New World in 1493. In Columbus's diary from November 4, 1492 he describes lands in Cuba planted with faxones and fabas "different than ours." Later he encounterd fexoes and habas that were different than the ones he knew from Spain. Faxones was probably the cowpea and fabas and habas was the fava bean. The beans Columbus found were undoubtedly what is now designated Phaseolus vulgaris . *
Green beans are the unripe, young fruit and contained a string, a hard fibrous strand running the length of one side of the pod. Nutritionally, green beans are a healthy vegetable and the flavonol miquelianin (Quercetin 3-O-glucuronide) can be found in green beans. The darker green color the vegetable is the better it is for you. Please, I beg of you, do not cook your green beans to death. Allow them to stay a vibrant green and "shock" them to stop the cooking. To stop the cooking process, take them out of boiling water and put them into an ice bath (a bowl of cold water with ice in it).
Green beans grow either bush (which is what I grow) or pole (climbing beans). One plant can produce a number of beans and will continue well into September.
When purchasing green beans, you want to look for them to have a bright green color with a crisp, firm snap when you break them. Flacid beans are not fresh and have no place at your dinner table.
Only the tip of the green bean (where it attached to the plant) should be snapped off and tossed. You can trim them with a knife after the bean is washed but I prefer snapping my beans.
Unwashed green beans will stay fresh in your refrigerator in a plastic bag up to seven days in the crisper bin. You can snap the ends off the beans, rinse and pat dry, then place the beans in a labeled (label the bag, if not, months from now it will be a guessing game -"what's in the bag") zip loc bag. You can freeze the beans up to six months.
Did you know that green beans (raw, cooked or steamed- NOT CANNED) are good for your dog? Frozen green beans are a great alternative to chew toys. Puppies that are teething will enjoy the cold frozen bean on their tender gums. Green beans are also feline friendly! Once kitty is done stalking the odd green thing on the floor and takes a little nibble, she may realize, "this takes yummy!"
Yes, this blog is not only for humans, but for our furry friends too!!
Let's skip the butter, almonds and all the other things we dump on top of the green beans. Their earthy taste will allow you to appreciate the wonder of nature. Go get some beautiful, bright green beans and boil them 4-5 minutes (NO MORE). They should still have texture and not be mushy. Green beans will compliment any protein, even tofu and are a delicious vegetable.
ENJOY!
Source: *http://www.cliffordawright.com/caw/food/entries/display.php/id/5/