Green Bean

GREEN BEANS Spring

1 lb = 3 cups = 2 1/2 cups cooked

High in protein, vitamin A, and potassium, with smaller amounts of calcium and vitamin C. 90% water. Fresh beans should snap when you bend them. Harvest beans when the seeds in the pods are immature and still succulent. When buying beans in the market, avoid any that have rust marks or are limp, bulging, or blemished. To prepare beans for drying, snip off the stem ends, string if necessary, and cut into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces. Steam-blanch cut fresh beans for 3 to 5 minutes.

To freeze, trim and slice the beans and slice if long. Blanch for 3 minutes.

(Cook’s Bible 13 Common Veg) The best green beans are small, without spots or withered ends. Avoid those that are large, with overdeveloped seeds. Before cooking, trim off the ends with a knife or snap them off. Green beans are best lightly steamed and then quickly sautéed. I suggest steaming 4-5 minutes.

(Cook’s Bible: Steaming Times for Common Veg) Al Dente - 4 minutes, Fully Cooked - 5 minutes. Prep: remove ends

IngredientCategory?: Fruit Vegetables: Miscellaneous Vine Vegetables - Refrigerate in closed paper bags, cloth bags, or in crisper bins of your refrigerator. Line bins with cotton placemats to absorb moisture.

One 30-oz bag frozen vegetables = 5 oz dried

Water-boil blanching: allow 4 cups of prepared fruit or vegetable for every gallon of water. Bring the water to a boil; as it is heating, put the food in a wire basket that you can lower into and lift out of the water. Place the basket in the boiling water for 3 to 6 minutes.

Steam-blanching: bring about 2 inches of water to a boil in a large pot. Place the sliced fruit or vegetable in a single layer in a wire colander and place over the boiling water. Do not let the colander touch the water. Cover the pot and steam for 4 to 6 minutes. Steam blanching requires about one third more time than water-boil blanching, but may result in less nutrient loss.