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Green Beans

Also indexed as: Baby French Beans, Blue Lake Green Beans, Chinese Long Beans, Haricot Beans, Italian Beans, Purple Beans, Snap Beans, String Beans, Wax Beans, Yard-Long Beans

A fresh green bean snaps crisply and feels velvety to the touch.

Green beans are long, slender, meaty green pods with tiny seeds inside. They are often called string beans, not because they look like strings, but because older varieties had a fibrous string running down the pod’s seam. Today, however, green beans are stringless. Green beans are also often referred to as snap beans because of the sound they make when they are broken in pieces.

Varieties

The most common varieties of green beans include plain green beans (Blue Lake is a good variety), Italian (flat Romano), purple-podded (indistinguishable from baby green beans when cooked), yard-long, and wax beans (which are usually pale yellow).

Many similar varieties are also available, including baby French, haricot, and Chinese long. Baby French and haricot beans are thinner and more tender than conventional long beans. Chinese long beans measure12 to 14 inches (30.48–35.56cm) in length and are prepared the same as regular green beans.

Buying and storing tips

When purchasing fresh green beans, choose those that are slender, crisp, bright colored, and blemish-free. A fresh green bean snaps crisply and feels velvety to the touch. Old beans are paler in color, bulging, and leathery or limp. Green beans are best used immediately, but can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in a plastic bag, for up to five days.

Availability

Fresh green beans are available year-round; however, peak season is May to October. Baby green beans are extra-tender and choice. Canned and frozen green beans are available, too.

Preparation, uses, and tips

Before cooking, wash beans thoroughly in clear, cool water, and trim the tips.

Boiling, steaming, microwaving, and stir-frying are popular ways to prepare beans. Whatever cooking method you choose, remember to cook beans just until tender using the smallest amount of water; they should remain bright green.

Green beans can be served on their own or used in salads, casseroles, soups, and stir-fries—either whole, frenched (cut lengthwise), or cut into inch-long pieces. They can also be pickled.

To French beans (cut them into ribbon-thin lengths), trim the beans and, using a sharp knife or a vegetable peeler with frenching blades at one end, cut the beans into thin strands.

Nutritional Highlights

Beans (snap, green, raw), 10 beans (4 inches [10cm] long) (55g)
Calories: 17
Protein: 1g
Carbohydrate: 4g
Total Fat: 0.06g
Fiber: 1.9g

Health benefits and concerns

Health benefits and concerns for vegetables
Many health benefits and concerns associated with this food are applicable to other vegetables. Read about health benefits and concerns for vegetables for a full description.