From Rosalind Creasy
Edible Landscape Skills

Bush beans are among the easiest vegetables to grow and in most of the country it isn’t too late to slip in another crop. They will start to produce beans in less than 60 days.

I planted a wine barrel of bush beans the first week in June, by mid-July they were producing a few handfuls every few days, and by July 21st they produced enough in one day for supper for four people. Now, on August 1st they have produced a total of 2½ pounds and I’ll probably get a few more pounds in the next week or so. Then the plants will be spent and I’ll pull them out and give them to my chickens—they love bean vines. Bush beans aren’t the most productive way to produce string beans; if I were going for high production I would have planted pole string beans such as Kentucky Wonder or Blue Lakes and I would have expected them to produce through August. Bush bean plants produce for less than a month–pole beans produce for about six weeks and produce many more beans per plant.

Some folks are confused as to when to start to harvest their string beans and let them get too big and tough before they start to pick them. For the most succulent and tender beans pick them just as the pods thicken and before you can see the developing beans inside and the pod start to bulge. Keep an eye on the maturing crop. The string bean harvest-window is short—a mere day or two before they become too mature. Once the seeds are bulging in the pods they are too tough to eat as string beans. Either pick them off and compost them, or if a lot of your beans have gone too far, harvest the tough pods and make a pureed bean soup, as described below.  Unfortunately, if you let very many of the beans get mature the plant thinks it is done producing and stops sending up new flowers and your planting is ready to pull out. At this point you can start planting your fall crop of carrots, beets, greens, etc.

Here are a few string bean recipes to get you inspired. Notice that two out of the three recipes call for savory, either summer or winter. In much of Europe, savory is called the “bean” herb, as it tends to intensify the flavors in beans. It is usually included in most recipes that call for fresh beans.

Organic Green Beans, Italian Style

Beans have a long history in Italy. For centuries Italians relied on fava beans, but after the discovery of the new World, they quickly added snap beans to their repertoire.

To cook beans in the Italian manner, all beans are generally given an initial cooking. To do this a large pot of water is brought to a boil and the beans, be they green or yellow snap beans, romano beans, shelled horticultural beans, or fresh favas, are added to the water and cooked until just tender but still have a hint of crunch. They are drained and then are reheated with flavorings before serving. While butter is sometimes used for this last stage, a more common finish for the beans would be to reheat them in olive oil, and garlic, and sprinkle them with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Anchovies are sometimes mashed and added to the olive oil.

Serves 4

1 pound of organic green or yellow string or Romano beans
1½ tablespoons olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated

Wash, string beans, and remove the stem ends. If beans are large, cut them into 2” lengths. Precook the beans as described above. They will cook from 4 to 7 minutes depending on their size and age. (Romano beans cook more quickly than standard snap beans.) Cook until they are just tender. Drain and proceed as described above.

Fresh Organic Green Bean Salad with Grilled Tuna

This mid-summer treat is great with crusty bread, just right for a light, fancy, lunch.

Serves 4

For the dressing:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the salad:
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium pimento or red bell pepper
4 cups (24 ounces) green and/or gold fresh string beans, sliced 1” on the bias
Optional: 3” sprig of winter savory
8 to 10 leaves of butter lettuce
1/2 to 2/3 pounds fresh tuna

To make the dressing:
In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper together until they emulsify.

To make the salad:
Put the onion slices into a small bowl, cover them with cold water, add the salt, and let them sit for 1 hour to remove some of the bite.

In the meantime, roast the pepper over the flame of a gas stove, or under a broiler until charred. Place the charred pepper into a brown paper bag and let it cool. When it is cool enough to handle, remove the seeds, scrape off the skin, and cut the pepper into 1/2-inch strips. Set them aside.

Steam the beans with the savory over simmering water about 5 minutes or until just tender. Discard the savory. Shock the beans in ice water until they are chilled and drain them. Drain the onion slices. Arrange the butter lettuce leaves on a serving platter or in a large flat bowl. Arrange the beans, onion slices, and peppers on top.

Brush the tuna with one tablespoon of the dressing mixture. Over high heat, grill the tuna for approximately 7 minutes on each side.  Slice the fish on bias into 1/2 inch thick slices and arrange them on the vegetables. Drizzle the dressing over the tuna and the vegetables. Serve immediately.

Fresh Organic Green Bean Soup with Savory

String beans, even ones that have become too tough to eat as snap beans, can be prepared this way, as can fresh runner bean pods that are generally quite stringy and tough.

This soup can be frozen for a few months with no drop in quality. In this case eliminate the cream before freezing, and add it only after you have defrosted and warmed the soup. Serve the soup either warm or cold.

Serves 3 to 4

1/3 cup chopped green onions, leeks, or yellow onions
1 large clove garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pounds organic snap or runner beans
2 - 2 1/2 cups organic chicken broth
1 tablespoon minced fresh summer savory or 2 teaspoons minced fresh winter savory
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
Garnish: sprig of savory

In a large saucepot, sauté onions and garlic in butter and oil until wilted and slightly translucent. Add beans, savory, and broth and stir. Cover pan and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are just tender.
Add hot sauce, salt and pepper, and process soup in the blender in batches. It will still be a bit stringy and have lumpy bits so at this point strain the soup through a colander. Pour the now smooth soup back into the saucepot and bring it to a simmer over low heat. Take off the heat and add the cream. Adjust seasoning if needed. Ladle into soup bowls, and garnish.
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See also Greg’s Typhoon-Style Organic Green Beans Recipe
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Rosalind Creasy is author of Rosalind Creasy’s Recipes From The Garden: 200 Exciting Recipes from the Author of the Complete Book of Edible Landscaping and many others.
Images Credit: Rosalind Creasy
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