Green Beans Healthy Food Guide

Peak season: June through September

Recipe shown above: Blue Cheese-Walnut Green Beans

Weather means more when you have a garden. There’s nothing like listening to a shower and thinking how it is soaking in around your green beans.

—Marcelene Cox, American author

While one of the most iconic uses for the ever-popular green bean is in a creamy casserole at the holidays, fresh, local beans purchased in season at your local market can’t be beat. Also called snap beans or string beans, green beans actually come in a range of colors, from green to yellow to purple. When a recipe calls for green beans, most likely it means the ones that are green in color—although any color will work.

It’s easy to add beautiful color to a dish with green beans. Toss green beans with pasta for an easy hot or cold supper, or simply sauté some market-fresh green beans with garlic for an easy, healthy side dish.