Friday, July 27, 2012

Dilly Beans

Like I said...those Royal Beans turn green when you cook them! Kind of fun.



But, I really wanted to share this amazing Bean Salad from Moosewood Cooks At Home. I prefer it chilled.



What You Need (Ingredients and Equipment)

  • 1/2 to 1 pound green beans, preferably fresh-picked
  • enough water to cover the beans in
  • a pot big enough to hold the green beans and cover them with water
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, or 2 teaspoons dried
  • strainer or colander
  • measuring cup and spoons
  • 3-4 large garlic cloves, pressed or minced
  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/3-1/2 cup cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar or honey
  • 1 tablespoon salt

What You Do


Bring the water to a boil in the pot. Cook the beans, covered, until bright green and just tender (3 to 5 minutes). Drain the beans, reserving 1/2 to 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Put the beans in a bowl and toss them with the dill.
Next, make your marinade: combine garlic, red pepper flakes, vinegar, sugar, and salt in your cooking pot and bring to a boil. After the mixture has simmered for about two minutes, pour it over the green beans and mix well. Add enough of the reserved cooking liquid to make sure the beans are covered. Serve immediately, or chill in the fridge. Like I said, I like it chilled but it's hot and anything chilled is good right now.
Moosewood says they will keep for four days, covered and refrigerated. 
Enjoy!

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Royal Beans

I present our first pick of Her Majesty, Organic Royal Burgundy Snap Beans



I'm eager to cook these up and will post one of my favorite green bean recipes along with the update. They are supposed to turn green when you cook them. How magical! We have a special dinner tomorrow night with our guests, Heather and Zach. Cooking up lots of veggies and some iron skillet corn bread. Yummy!

These beans have proven to be easy producers. I hardly touched them in the garden and had no problems with white mold or pests. They are a great bush bean option.

There is a whole mess of Lazy Wife Pole Beans to pick too. I will probably freeze most of them to store. The heat was beating me down and I will have to go back to get those this evening. I'm over the heat already and it's only July 1st! Yikes!

I hope you are all staying as cool as possible. A dip in the river may be in order this afternoon.