We are so pleased that our Chinese Long Beans are producing
their first crop of the season. Our
experience has shown these beans to be a valuable addition to our summer crops
since they like the heat and produce vigorously throughout the summer.
Of course, I turned to the Internet when I first thought of writing about our Long Beans and found that they have many fine qualities
besides the ones I already knew about (they like the heat, are tender and tasty
and cook very quickly.) Nutritionally,
they are good sources of iron, fiber, vitamin B1, folate, copper, magnesium,
manganese, phosphorous, potassium and zinc.
They are also a good source of calcium, vitamins B2 and B6 and selenium.
I also discovered that they are members of the cowpea
family, the same family as black eye peas.
However the immature pods are tender and very similar in taste to string
beans. They are more limp than string
beans and can measure up to three feet long, although a foot to a foot and a
half is a more average size. This year
we have planted the usual green variety and also ones that are burgundy in
color.
A bean of many names, they are also known as Asparagus
Beans, Snake Beans and Yard-Long Beans as well as the name I favor, Long Beans. They are a staple crop of East Asia where
they have been cultivated for centuries.
“Google” Long Beans for recipe ideas and you will find Szechuan Green Beans as well as many for stir fries.
They take to seasonings such as these quite well, but we find them
delicious simply briefly cooked and tossed with salt, pepper and olive oil or
butter. I do like to caramelize some of
our sweet onions and toss them with the beans too.
Long beans are a great way to stretch out the green bean
eating season. And they certainly
measure up to our production and quality standards. And, as you may have noted, they lend
themselves to bad puns.
Suzy
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