Hey, friends, I am suggesting to eat in season whenever possible. Sometimes you crave fruits and produce offseason, but when you do that, you are renouncing on flavors and taste. You can avoid unnecessary pesticides, and that’s a good thing.
August is green bean season, smack in the middle of summer, perfect timing for enriching every salad with color and flavor.
The Latin name Phaseolus vulgaris includes them into the Leguminosae family.
Although they are twins of the beans from a botanical point of view, the green beans are considered separately for their different nutritional characteristics and various use in the kitchen.
From a nutritional aspect, the green beans differ significantly from the beans, because harvested and consumed before the seeds fully mature, the green beans are, in fact, less caloric and have a lower intake of proteins and carbohydrates.
Fibers, minerals, and vitamin A contribute to making them evergreen in low-calorie diets. Packed with vitamin C (16 Mg per 100 g) and very low in calories (31 per 100 g), with plenty of antioxidant properties and immune strengthening.
In the marketplace, you can choose between dwarf and climbing varieties. Compared to the pod, the main differences are in the shape and color, with variations that go up to intense yellow and violet. When purchasing, pay attention to the crunchiness! If the pod breaks when we fold it, then it’s time to pick it up.
Once in the kitchen, we will have to have a little patience in removing the wire and the ends (let’s try to align several pods on the cutting board to cut the tips in one shot). If you clean them individually, you can also remove the filaments, and that’s a bonus because they are not easy to digest.
In the kitchen, we combine the green beans with garlic and tomatoes or season them with oil and lemon if they are just boiled and served as a complimentary side. A traditional preparation is a Ligurian pasta with pesto, green beans, and potatoes! Or prepare the recipe below with fried eggs on top, sort of light lunch or unpretentious dinner.
In your like to grow them, you will need a warmer climate in March in the South and generally in April-May in the North. The harvest occurs in two stages after about two months, as soon as the typical dimensions of the chosen variety reach fulfillment.
A rare gift, and considered an improvement plant because its cultivation does not deplete the nutrients of the soil but instead prepares the ground for subsequent harvest.
Here’s an excellent recipe to try.
Green beans and bacon with a fried egg
Ingredients
2 -1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
Kosher salt to taste
1/2 pound bacon, roughly chopped
One small yellow onion, finely chopped
Three cloves garlic, minced
One teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Freshly ground pepper
Directions
Toss the green beans into a large pot of boiling salted water and cook until bright green in color and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the beans and shock in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain the beans again and pat dry.
Cook the bacon in a large, heavy saute pan until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Spoon off the excess bacon grease, leaving two tablespoons in the pan. Add the onion to the pan and saute until soft and very tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until just fragrant, about one more minute. Add the reserved green beans and the pecans and cook until heated through, 5 to 6 minutes more. Return the bacon to the pan, pour in the lemon juice and toss—season with salt and pepper. Top the finished dish with fried eggs, and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmigiano.
