Beans on the scene

You might know green beans as snap beans and string beans, but they're all basically the same: small pods filled with seeds.

Since they're harvested when young, a green bean's pods stay tender, making them edible along with the seeds. Different varieties range in size, but they average about 10cm in length.

Green beans come in pole and bush varieties. Pole beans grow tall and are usually supported by a fence. Bush beans grow into small stubby plants that don't need support.

Although they're called green beans, they come in yellow and purple, too; the wax bean is a pale yellow variety. Haricots verts are French green beans that are thin and tender.

Green beans are available all year and you can find them fresh at most farmers' markets.

A cup of raw green beans contains 34 calories (0.14 kilojoules), 2g of sugar and 15 per cent of your daily fibre needs. It's also an excellent source of vitamins A, K and C, and of folate and manganese.

Covering 6 per cent of your daily needs, they even have a decent amount of iron when compared with other veges.

If you're going to leave green beans whole, choose ones that are of equal size for even cooking. Rinse under cold water and trim off the stem end.

Overcooking green beans makes them soggy, so cook them until they're tender and a vibrant green. In a rush? Prepare your beans by blanching them - cook them in boiling water and then plunge the batch in ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and refrigerate them overnight in an airtight container.

When shopping, look for loose green beans, which will allow you to pick the freshest ones.

Choose slender beans that are bright, crisp and free of blemishes.