Beans by Mary Oliver

“They’re not like peaches or squash. Plumpness isn’t for them. They like being lean, as if for the narrow path. The beans themselves sit quietly inside their green pods. Instinctively one picks with care, never tearing down the fine vine, never noticing their crisp bodies, or feeling their willingness for the pot, for the fire.

I have thought sometimes that something - I can’t name it - watches as I walk the rows, accepting the gift of their lives to assist mine.

I know what you think: this is foolishness. They’re only vegetables. Even the blossoms with which they begin are small and pale, hardly significant. Our hands, or minds, our feet hold more intelligence. With this I have no quarrel. But, what about virtue?”

Oliver, Mary. “Beans.” 2004. Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, poets.org/poem/beans. Accessed 22 Jun. 2022.

Pole Beans & Bush Beans

Beans are a staple in any southern kitchen garden, and my garden is no exception. Planted in late spring through the first of August, both pole (i.e., runner) beans and bush beans can provide nutritious and tasty Southern eats.

Beans are members of the Legume plant family. They extract nitrogen from the air and release it into the soil (referred to as nitrogen fixing), benefiting other garden veggies like tomatoes and peppers.

Where & How to Plant

I’ve planted both bush beans and pole beans in my garden. Beans need at least 6 hours of sun daily, and like well-drained soil. Pole beans grow on vines that require trellising (or a teepee), but will produce all season long if well tended and growing conditions stay favorable. Bush beans are compact plants that grow only about 2 feet tall. They don’t require additional support, and benefit from succession planting since they only produce 1 or 2 harvests per planting.

Of course, I have favorite bean varieties that I return to again and again. For pole beans, I really like Rattlesnake Pole Snap Beans and Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans. Rattlesnake beans are about 8 inches long and super flavorful. Kentucky Wonder beans are a dark green garden classic. Both varieties are stringless if harvested when pods are young, and will keep producing for as long as you keep picking.

For bush beans, my top picks are Provider Bush Snap Beans and Contender (Buff Valentine) Bush Snap Beans. Provider beans are straight, stringless beans about 5-8 inches long, and are great for freezing and canning. Contender (Buff Valentine) beans are slightly curved, have great flavor and are the best early green bean.

Green Bean Overload

Lots and lots of beans! Which can happen if you’re growing bush beans since they often come in all at once. So what do you do? If you have a large family, you can eat them, of course. But if not, freeze them!

Green beans actually freeze very well and will keep for about a year.

Freeze Those Green Beans

Once you’ve harvested your green beans (using super sharp snips), rinse them off to remove any dirt and debris. Trim the ends and place the beans in a large stockpot filled with salted, boiling water for about 2 minutes. Drain the beans and immediately place them into a bowl of ice water. This will stop them from cooking further. Dry the blanched beans completely, then freeze in marked bags or containers.

And Finally . . . Enjoy

One of my favorite ways to serve up green beans from the garden is by sauteing them in a little olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper and lemon. Another awesome go-to is Ina Garten’s recipe for Green Beans Gremolata with Parmesan, parsley and pine nuts. You can find that recipe through the In My Kitchen page of this site under Half-Runner Saute.

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