Green Beans

We grow Provider and Jade varieties. 

Purple Beans

We grow the Royal Burgandy variety.

Yellow Wax Beans

Photos by Jake Griggs

The sections below were copied with permission from Mi Ae Lipe’s Tastes from the Valley to Bluff: The Featherstone Farm Cookbook (2008).

Storage

Refrigerate unwashed beans in a paper or perforated plastic bag in warmer section of the refrigerator. Use within 2 or 3 days. If they start to wilt, soaking in ice water may rehydrate them.

Complementary Herbs, Seasonings, & Foods

Almonds, bacon, basil, béchamel sauce, butter, cream, curry powder, dill, garlic, lemon, majoram, mint, mushrooms, mustard, nutmeg, nuts, olive oil, onions, orange, oregano, Parmesan cheese, parsley, pine nuts, rosemary, soy sauce, tarragon, tomatoes, vinegar, walnuts, Worcestershire sauce.

Serving Suggestions

• Toss freshly boiled or steamed green beans with soy sauce, light vegetable oil or Italian dressing.

• Munch raw beans with various dips. Kids like these as a finger food!

• Sprinkle chopped fresh herbs over steamed or boiled green beans; dill or mint are pleasant surprises with green beans.

• Stir-fry or sauté green beans with a mixture of peanut or sesame oil, soy sauce, scallions, garlic, ginger, chili paste, sugar, salt, and pepper for Szechuan-style beans.

• Drop a handful into stir-fries at the last minute to add flavor and crunch. (This works best with young, tender beans.)

• Treat your string beans as you would southern-style greens -- cook them slowly with lots of water, a ham hock or piece of pork fatback, and finish with a dose of vinegar and a dash of hot pepper sauce.

• Add interest to cooked green beans by tossing them in a light vinaigrette and slivered almonds or chopped hazelnuts.

• Create a colorful vegetable julienne with green and yellow string beans, carrot strips, golden beets, and red or orange bell pepper strips steamed or boiled briefly.

• Remember the old green-bean casserole standby? You know green beans with a can of cream of mushroom soup poured over it, and crisp fried onions sprinkled on top? Don't be ashamed to admit you like it!

Recipes

Lemon-Walnut Green Beans (serves 8)

8 cups small green beans

Cooking spray

2 cups sliced green onions

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1 & 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 3/4 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary

5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 & 1/2 tablespoons grated lemon rind

1. Arrange the green beans in a steamer basket over boiling water. Cover and steam 8 to 12 minutes or until crisp-tender. Plunge the beans into cold water to stop the cooking process; drain.

2. Spray a sauté pan with cooking spray. Over medium-high heat, add the green onions and sauté until tender. Add the green beans, walnuts, rosemary, and lemon juice; cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly heated.

3. Sprinkle with lemon rind.

Credit: Fruits and Veggies -- More Matters; Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

Salade Niçoise 

The classic version of this salad includes potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, tuna, anchovies and nicoise olives. However you can vary this as the season and your tastes may guide you. With or without tuna, this salad is a full meal, served with some bread. The concept is simple. Toss salad greens with a simple olive oil and vinegar vinaigrette. If you have fresh basil, tear some leaves and toss with dressing along with the greens. Divide greens one plate for each serving. Arrange on top of the greens some or all of the following: boiled potatoes (marinated in some vinaigrette), steamed green beans - cooked just until tender, quartered fresh tomatoes, quartered hard boiled eggs, tuna (good quality canned or fresh cooked) flaked into chunks, sliced cucumber, roasted red pepper, French or Greek black olives, feta cheese, sweet onion sliced into rings. If desired, serve some extra vinaigrette alongside in a pitcher. If you like anchovies, drape a few on top of the salad as a garnish.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2011 - Week 6

Yellow Bean Salad

Steam or blanch beans until crisp tender.  Plunge in cold water to stop cooking.  Drain well.  Make simple vinaigrette - olive oil, vinegar, a little Dijon mustard, salt and pepper to taste.  Mix beans with vinaigrette and a handful or two of chopped parsley.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 6

Heritage Farm Bean Salad

This recipe is from the 2010 Seed Savers Exchange catalog.

1 1/2  cups Lina Sisco's Bird Egg Bean ( or any combination of favorite dried beans)

1/2 pound green beans or yellow wax beans or combination

1 small red onion, sliced into thin rings

3 T. chopped fresh basil (or parsley or cilantro)

Salt and pepper to taste

Vinaigrette

1/4  cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup sugar

2 t. Dijon mustard

1 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

Cook dried beans (see June 5 pinto bean post for bean cooking directions).  Steam green/yellow beans until crisp tender.  Prepare vinaigrette.  Add dressing to all ingredients while beans are still warm.  Chill for several hours.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.  Garnish with basil leaves.

Credit: Cook out of the Box - Dig In: Vegetable Diversity

Last updated on March 16, 2012 by Featherstone Farm