Green beans are fresh for the picking at markets now! For many through the ages, beans of all kinds are more than food.
They are a symbol of resilience, self-sufficiency, and the close-knit communities that have preserved them and kept them alive for generations. Poke around Appalachia and you’ll be sure to find some heartening and resilient story about beans. Shopping for beans at markets can be more than just picking ingredients, but a chance to engage with a living legacy of Appalachian foodways and to reconnect us with our region’s heritage. At Buncombe County farmers tailgate markets, look out for green beans along with wax beans, long beans, edamame and more!
Green beans, included in the legume family, are one of those few crops that don’t just pull from the soil, but feed it by fixing nitrogen from the air into the Earth. While the name “green bean” implies that the vegetable is green in hue, green beans can also be yellow, purple, or even speckled with red! The yellow varieties of green beans are often referred to as “wax beans,” but taste remarkably the same with almost identical nutritional content. Purple varieties tend to turn green when cooked, so invite the kids to help with dinner and show them how they magically change color before their eyes! Find green beans from vendors like Windy Hollow Farm (Weaverville Tailgate Market), Green Toe Ground (North Asheville Tailgate Market), and Olivette Farm (East Asheville and Asheville City markets)…