Tip for Green Beans

Green beans…fresh green beans…fresh green beans, stir-fried in olive

oil until tender crisp with a dash of dill weed. My taste buds are

looking forward to supper.



Green beans are flourishing in gardens this summer. Are you

anticipating that first taste of your homegrown green beans? Plain or

enhanced with sauces, marinated or served in salads and soups, green

beans win a place at the dinner table.



Here are some tips to obtain the best flavor from your beans:



Pick young beans with small seeds, should feel pliable and velvety,

not tough. They should be about the size of a small pencil.

Just before using - wash green beans in cold water. Trim and cut

green beans. Vegetables cut or chopped ahead of time lose nutrients

more quickly. A bean cutter is a useful tool for large batches.

Use very little water, not more than one inch in the bottom of a pan

for 1 lb. of beans.

Cook beans in small batches. The fewer the beans, the quicker they

cook and better they taste.

Cook uncovered for first few minutes to preserve bright green color,

then cover and cook until just tender crisp.

Overheating and overcooking will cause discoloration.

Beans will continue to cook after boiling water has been drained. You

may want to remove them just before reaching the crisp tender stage

or plunge them in ice water for salads.



Green beans should be welcomed to your table year round. By freezing

or canning the beans, you can provide an ample supply for your family

to enjoy. Low in calories and sodium and a source of Vitamins A and

C, green beans are perfect for all diets.



For freezing, select young tender pods and blanch before freezing.

For canning choose the more mature beans to help prevent mushiness.

Use a Deluxe Bean Frencher to cut beans into elegant slender slices

for canning. Be sure to use a pressure canner when canning green

beans since they are a low acid food.



However you like to serve them, don't let an ounce of flavor be lost

in the preparation. Your taste buds deserve to relish every bite.

on 7/10/07 5:23 AM, Kelly at feelmykissesnow@yahoo.com wrote:



> Pick young beans with small seeds, should feel pliable and velvety,

> not tough. They should be about the size of a small pencil.



If they get away from you and the pods are getting tough, not to worry -

make shell-outs. These are beans that have been "shelled out" before they

get mature. Process them like any other vegetable or just cook and eat them

as is. Some stores still stock them, but usually the only kind you can find

are baby limas. Shell-outs have a distinctive flavor with similarities to

dried beans but different. I love them.



Don C



--

He who believes himself spiritual proves he is not.