French green beans, also called Haricots Verts, tend to be smaller, more tender, and quicker to cook. Their seeds are so small that they’re almost unnoticeable.
Also known as an Asparagus bean, Snake bean, Yardlong bean, and Long-Podded cowpea, the long bean often gets compared to and included in discussions about green beans, even though they belong to a different genus. More closely related to the cowpea, the long bean is similar to pole beans in that they tend to grow on vines. Unlike most green beans, the long bean is native to southern Asia. It is distinctly suited to hot climates and drought resistant, making it ideal for the unique topography of the countries in that region.
The Maxibel Haricot Vert is a bush bean considered the premier “French filet” bean. Filet beans are known for their slender pods that are exceedingly delicate in texture and flavor. While they can range in color from verdant to golden to violet, this particular variety is a beryl hue. The pods tend to be ready to harvest in 60 days and will be about 7 inches long when ripe. These beans should get harvested while young to maximize their flavor, making them labor-intensive for a short period. Due to their short growing season, they can thrive virtually anywhere with adequate sun and moderate moisture.
The beans themselves get celebrated for their distinctly large size. They can easily top 8 or 9 inches in length with a uniform width and a hunter-green color, making them a beautiful bean to use in virtually any recipe, from casseroles and stews to soups and salads. They are firm and have brown seed pods which can get shelled and eaten like a pinto bean. They also make great pickling beans or beans for battering and frying. Perhaps our favorite recipe to prepare with this bean is a classic green bean almondine. The nutty almonds are a great contrast to the bright flavor of this particular variety of green beans.
This plant can get eaten at virtually every stage of its development. Its bright flowers are delightful to add to salads. Its pods can be dense and woody, making them difficult to digest unless thoroughly cooked. Due to their large size, their pods tend to get sliced before cooking in stews, soups, or curries. The large seeds within these pods are the true star of this plant. When fresh, they can get used as a substitute for lima beans in salads, sautées, or stir-fries. As they dry out, they take on beautiful colors in hues of white to deep mahogany with speckles of red. Their flavor is redolent of chestnuts when cooked, though they require some patience to process, as they need extensive soaking and cooking to be tender enough to eat. They are common in bean soups and chili and may even get made into hummus.
Because of their distinctly creamy texture when cooked, wax beans pair beautifully with pork fat, butter, cream sauces, and shellfish. They are also a common ingredient in a classic Hungarian soup dish that we happened to grow up eating. The bright red paprika and unctuous sour cream juxtapose these beans beautifully. They are also a great alternative to green beans in a classic Thanksgiving casserole, as their nuttiness bounces off the cream of mushroom soup, providing a velvety mouthfeel.
For Southern style, boil/simmer the beans with ham, salt pork, ham hock, country ham, butter or bacon. Sear the meat first to render a little fat and then add the beans with water. You can also cook them in ham broth without the meat or fat. Let them cook slowly over an hour or two. Small potatoes or onions can also be added to the pot to boil along with the beans.
Green beans are usually cooked but can be a great addition to a salad raw or just blanched. Blanching in boiling water for a couple of minutes and then plunging into ice water will help set the bright green color. Try them in a pasta salad. Use blanched green beans on a vegetable tray with dip or blanch and dress with a vinaigrette and crumbled cheese and nuts for a different salad.
Beans have two ways they grown – either on a bushy plant (bush beans) that tends to bear in a short time frame or on a vining plant (pole beans) that climbs up a support and bears over a longer period. The bush beans are generally better for canning or preserving as they all come in at once while the pole beans come in fewer at a time for fresh eating – although you can use them either way. The growth habit doesn’t determine the flavor or type of bean – just the way in which it produces.
After washing the beans, you can leave them whole or break or cut them into pieces. The old fashioned way is to break (or snap) off the ends and then into pieces about 1″ long. You can also line them up and cut off the ends and into pieces. You can cut them crosswise, diagonally or lengthwise (French cut). If leaving whole, just take the ends off. They tend to retain their color better when cooked whole.
Vegetables Names | Types of Beans | Broad Beans, Butter, Soya, Lima, Cluster Beans, Cow & Green Peas
FAQ
What is a petite green bean?
What are baby green beans called?
What are nicknames for green beans?
What are green beans called?
You’ll sometimes hear green beans called string beans or wax beans, depending on what part of the country you happen to be in. The French version of green beans, called haricots verts (pronounced “ha-ree-ko vair”), are a bit more slender than the ones we’re used to seeing here in the States. How Should I Select Fresh Green Beans?
What type of beans should one eat?
The most healthy beans are chickpeas, lentils, peas, kidney beans, black beans, soybeans, pinto beans, and navy beans. They contain a lot of fiber and proteins.
What are the different types of green beans?
There are many varieties of green beans, but all can be categorized into one of two ways: bush or pole. These two categories refer to the way in which the beans were grown. Bush beans grow on a short, bushy plant, while pole beans (also known as runner beans) grow as climbing vines that require a trellis or staking.
Are all green beans green?
It turns out that not all green beans are green. The term “green bean” encompasses a whole lot more than what you can find in your typical produce aisle. Although most varieties can be used interchangeably, some take to different cooking methods better than others. Let’s take a deep dive into the most common types of green beans.