Green bean · Lablypedia

Immature or young pods of the runner bean (P. coccineus), yardlong bean (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis), and hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus) are used in a similar way. Green beans are distinguished from the many other bean varieties in that they are harvested and consumed with their enclosing pods before the bean seeds inside have fully matured. An analogous practice is the harvest and consumption of unripened pea pods, as is done with snow peas or sugar snap peas.

Uses

As common food in many countries, green beans are sold fresh, canned, and frozen. They can be eaten steamed, boiled, stir-fried, or baked. They are commonly cooked in other dishes, such as soups, stews, and casseroles. Green beans can be pickled, similarly to cucumbers.

They should not be eaten raw as they contain phytohaemagglutinin, a lectin toxic to humans that is destroyed by high temperatures. Symptoms of poisoning typically appear two to three hours after consumption and can include abdominal pain, nausea, bloody diarrhea, fever and low blood pressure.

A dish with green beans common throughout the northern US, particularly at Thanksgiving, is green bean casserole, a dish of green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and French-fried onions.

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Nutrition

Raw green beans are 90% water, 7% carbohydrates, 2% protein, and contain negligible fat. In a 100-gram (3+1⁄2-ounce) reference amount, raw green beans supply 131 kilojoules (31 kilocalories) of food energy and are a moderate source (range 10–19% of the Daily Value) of vitamin C and vitamin K, with no other micronutrients in significant content.

Domestication

The green bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) originated in Central and South America, where there is evidence that it has been cultivated in Mexico and Peru for thousands of years.

Characteristics

The first "stringless" bean was bred in 1894 by Calvin Keeney, called the "father of the stringless bean," while working in Le Roy, New York. Most modern green bean varieties do not have strings.

Plant

Green beans are classified by growth habit into two major groups, "bush" (or "dwarf") beans and "pole" (or "climbing") beans.

Bush beans are short plants, growing to not more than 2 feet (61 cm) in height, often without requiring supports. They generally reach maturity and produce all of their fruit in a relatively short period, then cease to produce. Owing to this concentrated production and ease of mechanized harvesting, bush-type beans are those most often grown on commercial farms. Bush green beans are usually cultivars of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris).

Pole beans have a climbing habit and produce a twisting vine, which must be supported by "poles," trellises, or other means. Pole beans may be common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) or yardlong beans (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis).

Half-runner beans have both bush and pole characteristics, and are sometimes classified separately from bush and pole varieties. Their runners can be about one to three metres (3–10 feet) long.

Varieties

Over 130 varieties (cultivars) of edible pod beans are known. Varieties specialized for use as green beans, selected for the succulence and flavor of their green pods, are the ones usually grown in the home vegetable garden, and many varieties exist. Beans with various pod colors (green, purple, red, or streaked.) are collectively known as snap beans, while green beans are exclusively green. Pod shapes range from thin and circular ("fillet" types) to wide and flat ("romano" types) and more common types in between.

The three most commonly known types of green beans belonging to the species Phaseolus vulgaris are string or snap beans, which may be round or have a flat pod; stringless or French beans, which lack a tough, fibrous string running along the length of the pod; and runner beans, which belong to a separate species, Phaseolus coccineus. Green beans may have a purple rather than green pod, which changes to green when cooked. Yellow-podded green beans are also known as wax beans. Wax bean cultivars are commonly of the bush or dwarf form.

All of the following varieties have green pods and are Phaseolus vulgaris unless otherwise specified:

Bush (dwarf) types

Blue Lake 274
Contender
Derby (1990 AAS winner)
Golden Wax Improved (yellow/wax), 60 days
Greencrop, 53 days
Heavyweight II, 53 days
Improved Tendergreen
Provider
Rocquencourt (yellow/wax), 50 days, heirloom
Royal Burgundy (purple pod), 55 days
Stringless Green Pod, heirloom
Triomphe de Farcy, 48 days, heirloom

Pole (climbing) types

Algarve
Blue Lake
Golden Gate (yellow/wax)
Gold Marie, 75 days, Common Mosaic virus (BCMV) resistant
Kentucky Blue (AAS Winner)
Kentucky Wonder, 65 days, heirloom
Rattlesnake bean, 65 days, heirloom
Scarlet Runner (Phaseolus coccineus)
Trionfo Violetto (purple pod), 60 days

Production

In 2024, world production of green beans was 26 million tonnes, with China accounting for 72% of the total, and India as the next largest producer (table).