Green bean

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A pile of raw green beans Heaps of beans.jpg
A pile of raw green beans

Green beans are young, unripe fruits of various cultivars of the common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris ), [1] [2] although immature or young pods of the runner bean ( Phaseolus coccineus ), yardlong bean (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis), and hyacinth bean ( Lablab purpureus ) are used in a similar way. [3] Green beans are known by many common names, includingFrench beans (French : haricot vert), [4] string beans (although most modern varieties are "stringless"), [4] and snap beans [4] or simply "snaps." [5] [6] In the Philippines, they are also known as "Baguio beans" or "habichuelas" to distinguish them from yardlong beans. [7]

Contents

They are distinguished from the many other varieties of beans in that green beans 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

Raw green beans
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 131 kJ (31 kcal)
6.97 g
Dietary fiber 2.7 g
Fat
0.22 g
1.83 g
Vitamins Quantity
%DV†
Vitamin A equiv.
4%
35 μg
Thiamine (B1)
7%
0.082 mg
Riboflavin (B2)
8%
0.104 mg
Niacin (B3)
5%
0.734 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)
5%
0.225 mg
Vitamin B6
8%
0.141 mg
Folate (B9)
8%
33 μg
Vitamin C
14%
12.2 mg
Vitamin K
12%
14.4 μg
Minerals Quantity
%DV†
Calcium
3%
37 mg
Iron
6%
1.03 mg
Magnesium
6%
25 mg
Manganese
9%
0.216 mg
Phosphorus
3%
38 mg
Potassium
7%
211 mg
Zinc
2%
0.24 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Water90 g
Link to USDA Database entry
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, [8] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies. [9]

As common food in many countries, green beans are sold fresh, canned, and frozen. They can be eaten raw or 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.

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. [10]

Nutrition

Raw green beans are 90% water, 7% carbohydrates, 2% protein, and contain negligible fat (table). In a 100-gram (3.5-ounce) reference amount, raw green beans supply 31 calories and are a moderate source (range 10–19% of the Daily Value) of vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, and manganese, while other micronutrients are in low supply (table).

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. [11]

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. [12] Most modern green bean varieties do not have strings. [3]

Plant

Green beans are classified by growth habit into two major groups, "bush" (or "dwarf") beans and "pole" (or "climbing") beans. [13] [14] [15]

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). [16] [17]

Half-runner beans have both bush and pole characteristics, and are sometimes classified separately from bush and pole varieties. [18] [19] [20] [21] Their runners can be about 3–10 feet long. [22] [ irrelevant citation ]

Varieties

Varieties of climbing French beans, from left: 'The Hunter,' 'Cosse Violette,' 'Rob Roy,' 'Rob Splashed,' 'Kingston Gold' BBC Gardeners World - 2017-06-15 - Andy Mabbett - 02.jpg
Varieties of climbing French beans, from left: 'The Hunter,' 'Cosse Violette,' 'Rob Roy,' 'Rob Splashed,' 'Kingston Gold'

Over 130 varieties (cultivars) of edible pod beans are known. [23] 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. [24] ) 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. [25] [ page needed ] Yellow-podded green beans are also known as wax beans. [3] Wax bean cultivars are commonly of the bush or dwarf form. [26] [ page needed ]

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

Bush (dwarf) types

  • Blue Lake 274 [2]
  • Contender [27]
  • Derby (1990 AAS winner) [2]
  • Golden Wax Improved (yellow/wax), 60 days
  • Greencrop, 53 days
  • Heavyweight II, 53 days
  • Improved Tendergreen [28]
  • Provider [27]
  • Rocquencourt (yellow/wax), 50 days, heirloom [29]
  • Royal Burgundy (purple pod), 55 days
  • Stringless Green Pod, heirloom [30]
  • Triomphe de Farcy, 48 days, heirloom
Production of
green beans – 2020
Country(Millions of tonnes)
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 18.0
Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia 0.9
Flag of India.svg  India 0.6
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey 0.5
Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand 0.3
World23.3
Source: FAOSTAT of the United Nations [31]

Pole (climbing) types

Production

In 2020, world production of green beans was 23 million tonnes, with China accounting for 77% of the total (table).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bean</span> Seed of one of several genera of the plant family Fabaceae

A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pea</span> Species of flowering plant with edible seeds in the family Fabaceae

Pea is a pulse, vegetable or fodder crop, but the word often refers to the seed or sometimes the pod of this flowering plant species, formerly 'Pisum sativum', it has been proposed to rename the species as Lathyrus oleraceus. Each pod contains several seeds (peas), which can have green or yellow cotyledons when mature. Botanically, pea pods are fruit, since they contain seeds and develop from the ovary of a (pea) flower. The name is also used to describe other edible seeds from the Fabaceae such as the pigeon pea, the cowpea, the seeds from several species of Lathyrus and is used as a compound form for example Sturt's desert pea.

<i>Phaseolus</i> Genus of legumes

Phaseolus is a genus of herbaceous to woody annual and perennial vines in the family Fabaceae containing about 70 plant species, all native to the Americas, primarily Mesoamerica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legume</span> Plant in the family Fabaceae

Legumes are plants in the family Fabaceae, or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption; for livestock forage and silage; and as soil-enhancing green manure. Well-known legumes include beans, soybeans, chickpeas, peanuts, lentils, lupins, grass peas, mesquite, carob, tamarind, alfalfa, and clover. Legumes produce a botanically unique type of fruit – a simple dry fruit that develops from a simple carpel and usually dehisces on two sides.

<i>Phaseolus coccineus</i> Species of flowering plant

Phaseolus coccineus, known as runner bean, scarlet runner bean, or multiflora bean, is a plant in the legume family, Fabaceae. Another common name is butter bean, which, however, can also refer to the lima bean, a different species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lima bean</span> Species of plant

A lima bean, also commonly known as butter bean, sieva bean, double bean or Madagascar bean, is a legume grown for its edible seeds or beans.

<i>Phaseolus vulgaris</i> Species of plant

Phaseolus vulgaris, the common bean, is a herbaceous annual plant grown worldwide for its edible dry seeds or green, unripe pods. Its leaf is also occasionally used as a vegetable and the straw as fodder. Its botanical classification, along with other Phaseolus species, is as a member of the legume family Fabaceae. Like most members of this family, common beans acquire the nitrogen they require through an association with rhizobia, which are nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asparagus bean</span> Legume cultivated for its edible pods

The asparagus bean is a legume cultivated for its edible green pods containing immature seeds, like the green bean. It is also known as: yardlong bean, pea bean, long-podded cowpea, Chinese long bean, snake bean, bodi, and bora. Despite the common name of "yardlong", the pods are actually only about half a yard long, so the subspecies name sesquipedalis is a more accurate approximation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snap pea</span> Edible-pod pea

The snap pea, also known as the sugar snap pea, is an edible-pod pea with rounded pods and thick pod walls, in contrast to snow pea pods, which are flat with thin walls. The name mangetout can apply to snap peas and snow peas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black turtle bean</span> Small, shiny variety of the common bean

The black turtle bean is a small, shiny variety of the common bean especially popular in Latin American cuisine, though it can also be found in the Cajun and Creole cuisines of south Louisiana. Like all varieties of the common bean, it is native to the Americas, but has been introduced around the world. It is also used in Indian cuisine, Tamil cuisine, where it is known as karuppu kaaramani and in Maharashtrian cuisine, where it is known as Kala Ghevada. It is widely used in Uttrakhand India also known as "Bhatt". It is a rich source of iron and protein. The black turtle bean is often simply called the black bean, although this terminology can cause confusion with at least three other types of black beans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navy bean</span> Variety of the common bean

The navy bean, haricot bean, pearl haricot bean, Boston bean, white pea bean, or pea bean is a variety of the common bean native to the Americas, where it was first domesticated. It is a dry white bean that is smaller than many other types of white beans, and has an oval, slightly flattened shape. It features in such dishes as baked beans, various soups such as Senate bean soup, and even pies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snow pea</span> Type of edible-pod pea

The snow pea is an edible-pod pea with flat pods and thin pod walls. It is eaten whole, with both the seeds and the pod, while still unripened.

Pea beans are several types of common food plants producing beans:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flat bean</span>

Flat beans, also known as helda beans, romano beans and "sem fhali" in some Indian states, are a variety of Phaseolus vulgaris, known as runner bean with edible pods that have a characteristic wide and flat shape. Flat beans are normally cooked, and served as the whole pods, the same way as other green beans. Like many other types of bean they can also be dehusked or shelled, and the whitish seeds dried and stored, but there is no incentive to grow them for this purpose as higher-yielding bean varieties are available.

The Appaloosa bean is a cultivar bean variety of the species Phaseolus vulgaris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rattlesnake bean</span> Type of pole bean

The rattlesnake bean is an heirloom cultivar of pole bean. The pods are 6 to 8-inches long with purple markings, and the seeds are light brown with brown markings, still visible after cooking. They are named for the snake-like manner in which their pods coil around the vine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calypso bean</span> Bean cultivar

The Calypso bean, pickle bean, orca bean, or yin yang bean, is a bean cultivar of the species Phaseolus vulgaris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dragon tongue bean</span> Young green bean in the species Phaseolus vulgaris

Dragon tongue bean, or dragon tongue shelling bean, is young green bean of cranberry bean, pinto bean in the species Phaseolus vulgaris.

Soon Jai Park, Ph.D. (1937–2018) was a Canadian federal research scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Harrow, Ontario. He was internationally known for his dry bean breeding program that expanded bean production in Canada – taking beans that are usually grown in Africa, India, Korea, Japan and Brazil, and breeding them so they could thrive in Ontario and Western Canada to give farmers new crops to grow. He developed more than 28 bean varieties during his 25 year career

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolita bean</span> Variety of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)

The Bolita bean is an heirloom variety of common bean endemic to New Mexico and southern Colorado. It is a small, round, and sweet bean that is traditional to New Mexican and southwestern cuisine.

References

  1. ↑ "Green Beans". The World's Healthiest Foods. Archived from the original on August 2, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Beans – Vegetable Directory – Watch Your Garden Grow – University of Illinois Extension".
  3. 1 2 3 "Growing beans in Minnesota home gardens". University of Minnesota Agricultural Extension. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 Green, Aliza (2004). Field Guide to Produce. Quirk Books. p. 126. ISBN   978-1-931686-80-8.
  5. ↑ Singh BK and Singh B. 2015. Breeding perspectives of snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Vegetable Science42(1): 1-17.
  6. ↑ Hatch, Peter J. (April 24, 2012). "A Rich Spot of Earth": Thomas Jefferson's Revolutionary Garden at Monticello. Yale University Press. pp. 159–161. ISBN   978-0-300-17114-3.
  7. ↑ "Baguio Beans". Maribehlla. January 25, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  8. ↑ United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels" . Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  9. ↑ National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee to Review the Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019). Oria, Maria; Harrison, Meghan; Stallings, Virginia A. (eds.). Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. The National Academies Collection: Reports funded by National Institutes of Health. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US). ISBN   978-0-309-48834-1. PMID   30844154.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Cook's Illustrated (2004). The New Best Recipe. America's Test Kitchen.
  11. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 12, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ↑ Taylor's guide to heirloom vegetables . Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 1996. ISBN   0-395-70818-4.
  13. ↑ McGee, Rose Marie Nichols; Stuckey, Maggie (2002). The Bountiful Container. Workman Publishing.
  14. ↑ Garrelts, C.; Garrelts, Megan; Lee, Bonjwing (2011). Bluestem: The Cookbook. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 71. ISBN   978-1-4494-0061-3.
  15. 1 2 3 How to Grow French Beans – Royal Horticultural Society, RHS Gardening
  16. ↑ Capomolla, F. (2017). Growing Food the Italian Way. Pan Macmillan Australia. p. 143. ISBN   978-1-76055-490-3 . Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  17. ↑ Watson, B. (1996). Taylor's Guide to Heirloom Vegetables . TAYLOR'S WEEKEND GARDENING GUIDES. Houghton Mifflin. p.  238. ISBN   978-0-395-70818-7 . Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Planting Directions for White Half-Runner Beans". sfgate.com. September 30, 2012. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  19. ↑ Torpey, Jodi (January 9, 2016). Blue Ribbon Vegetable Gardening: The Secrets to Growing the Biggest and Best Prizewinning Produce. Storey Publishing. ISBN   978-1-61212-395-0 . Retrieved May 24, 2018– via Google Books.
  20. ↑ Wonning, Paul R. Gardeners' Guide to Growing Green Beans in the Vegetable Garden: The Green Bean Book – Growing Bush, Pole Beans For Beginning Gardeners. Mossy Feet Books. ISBN   978-1-311-55978-4 . Retrieved May 24, 2018– via Google Books.
  21. ↑ Gutierrez, Sandra A. (October 15, 2015). Beans and Field Peas: a Savor the South® cookbook. UNC Press Books. ISBN   978-1-4696-2396-2 . Retrieved May 24, 2018– via Google Books.
  22. ↑ Séguret, Susi Gott (January 24, 2017). Appalachian Appetite: Recipes from the Heart of America. Hatherleigh Press. ISBN   978-1-57826-705-7 . Retrieved May 24, 2018– via Google Books.
  23. ↑ Facciola, Stephen (1998). Cornucopia II : a source book of edible plants. Kampong Publications. ISBN   0-9628087-2-5.
  24. ↑ Singh B K, Pathak K A, Ramakrishna Y, Verma V K and Deka B C. 2011. "Purple-podded French bean with high antioxidant content." ICAR News: A Science and Technology Newsletter17 (3): 9.
  25. ↑ Press, L. (2002). The Bean Book: Over Seventy Incredible Recipes . Guilford, Conn.: Globe Pequot Press. ISBN   978-1-58574-473-2.
  26. ↑ Phillips, R.; Rix, M. (1993). Vegetables . New York: Random House. ISBN   978-0-679-75024-6.
  27. 1 2 "Bean Varieties: Best Bets and Easy-to-Grow". May 10, 2009. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  28. ↑ "Improved Tendergreen Bush Green Bean" . Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  29. ↑ "Three Heirloom Beans". April 2006. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  30. ↑ "Seedsmen Hall of Fame" . Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Production of green beans in 2020, Crops/Regions/World list/Production Quantity (pick lists)". UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT). 2022. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  32. ↑ Runner beans are edible – Oregon State University Agricultural Extension
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