Being a plant-based eater, it’s a good job I love all vegetables. Or rather, nearly all – bitter gourd is one I don’t enjoy as it’s, well, just too bitter 😉 . But there are some veggies that I get really excited about eating when they’re in season. Asparagus is one of them, as if you’ve seen any of my social media posts won’t surprise you. It’s quite common for people to get deep enjoyment from these tasty stems. But when I say I get just as excited about green beans, it’s not usually met with quite the same level of ‘oh yes me too’. In fact, I usually get asked “why?”.
But what’s not to love about tasty, tender green beans, particularly when they’re picked fresh from the garden? There’s a magical time to pick when they have a satisfying snap when broken in half before they start to go woody. To me they taste like summer. And when they’re in season, I’ll happily eat them every day.
There are different types of green bean. For me, dwarf beans are the ones I love. Usually green, which is why I describe them as green beans, but yellow or even black are available.
I think one of the reasons green beans are under appreciated is that supermarkets stock them all year round. Often flown from Africa, wrapped in plastic and chilled, they’re no longer fresh and vibrant. Even ‘tender’ dwarf beans can end up woody and flavourless. Plus the environmental impact of those air miles takes the shine off the enjoyment. Frozen they’re sogging. And, if served in restaurants, they’re often hard and difficult to cut.
This is why green beans join asparagus, strawberries and purple sprouting broccoli on my ‘only eat in season’ list. I get so excited when they first appear in the shops and will be found in the veggie patch waiting patiently for a crop to be ready for picking. I’ve even been known to bring some home in my suitcase after trips to warmer climes where green beans are in season earlier (pre-Brexit of course!).
There’s a lovely range of nutrients in green beans like calcium, iron and potassium, vitamin C, K and B vitamins plus a range of healthful antioxidants including betacarotene, flavonols and quercitin. There’s even a reasonable amount of fibre in them beans too.
The downside is that green beans often contain high levels of pesticides; they’re currently no. 12 on the ‘Dirty Dozen’ list. So buy organic if you can, or from farm shops that know the source and can tell you if chemicals are used. Or, even better, grow your own. Green beans are super easy to grow (usually) and if, like me, you love dwarf beans, don’t need much growing space either. You can even plant them in pots on a balcony or patio. Succession planting also means you can keep a crop coming all through summer.
This year was the first time I’ve struggled to get my beans to germinate. I bought a selection pack of green, yellow and borlotti beans for the garden. Maybe I started too early, but hardly any of the green beans germinated whilst the yellow ones were much more successful. The borlotti beans were a little slow but now are going great guns. I could leave the borlotti to grow large and pod them to eat the beans inside. However, I’m enjoying eating them whilst they’re small and tender; the variable colour on the pod also provides a little extra variety in nutrients too.
There’s lots of ways to enjoy green beans. They can be added to chillis, curries or veg stew for an extra beany dish. Or just lightly steamed as a side. I particularly enjoy them in salads as they provide an extra crunch and flavour. Picked small and fresh from the garden, they can be eaten raw but usually green beans benefit from a little bit of heat, usually in the steamer for a few minutes. They also roast surprisingly well – if you’ve not tried that I highly recommend it, particularly with a pinch of chilli and a scattering of sliced almonds.
This salad is super simple to make and can be enjoyed as a quick satisfying lunch or as part of a dinner party buffet. The sharp dressing compliments the fresh, sweet green beans. Use whatever herbs you have to hand and if you can’t tolerate raw onion, feel free to leave it out. Or if you prefer, swap to spring onions or even extra chives.
I hope you enjoy this tasty summer salad. If you make it, I’d love to know what you think.
Ingredients
Method
- Wash and trim the green beans. Lightly steam for a couple of minutes so they are just al dente. Remove from steamer and leave to cool.
- Place all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Check the flavour and add more seasoning, mustard etc if required. Add the red onion and leave it to marinate whilst the beans are cooking.
- Scatter the mixed leaves on the bottom of a serving bowl. Spread a â…“ of the red onion and dressing over the top followed by half the green beans and half the flageolet beans. Add another â…“ of the red onion and dressing followed by the remaining green and flageolet beans.
- Finish off with the remaining red onion dressing. Scatter fresh herbs and sliced almonds over the top and serve. Nastertium flowers optional.
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