The other day the kids had green beans from Montecucco Farms in Canby, OR. Green Beans scream summer to me, I grew up eating them raw and sun warmed from my mother's garden. They are an excellent source of vitamin A, complex B's, potassium and calcium. Interestingly you only get full access to the nutrients after they are cooked, if eaten raw a small percentage goes right through. This batch of green beans had a dark green color and a little bit of chewiness. That tells me that they got plenty of sun, but not enough water to keep up.
The first step is picking the stem end of the green beans, this would be a good time to involve a child. I pick them and put them into a strainer, so they're ready for the next step, rinsing thoroughly. If you ever need to pick 15 pounds of green beans quickly let me know, I can offer you some pointers.
This time I steamed the green beans for about three t0 four minutes, until just beyond soft but not mushy. There are many ways to steam veggies, it's a much better option than boiling them. When veggies are boiled some of the nutrients are left in the water and over cooking is easier. Then I portion them out.
Once I have the bowls set up I splash them with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt, and toss with some oregano. I always start off light on the seasoning - you can always add more, but you can't remove any. I recommend having some oil in a squeeze bottle (with a small nozzle hole), this will help with the portion control. I also like to use my hands (gloved or impeccably clean) for the mixing, you can do a more thorough job that way.
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how timely! i just bought two pounds of green beans at the farmer's market today. i love them raw and munch on them all day as a healthy snack. i bet i would love them steamed too! thanks childroots!
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