The only green beans I'm finding today are on the web.
Okay,maybe it’s exaggeration to go all conspiracy theory here. I don’t really think that there are people out there plotting against my salad Nicoise plans for dinner tonight. But tell me people, when was the last time you went to two different grocery stores, at two different times of day and found absolutely no green beans in the produce department? I’m flummoxed. And annoyed. The apologetic guy at PCC wasn’t even sure if they’d be getting any in, but thought maybe later today he would know. Last night, the produce guy at Whole Foods was “hoping for some soon.” What the hell? It’s not exactly like green beans are a rare vegetable.
I have beautiful potatoes from the garden that Bill dug up last night. Bill picked the last head of unbolted and edible lettuce last night. We have a jar of imported Spanish tuna that is just waiting to be used up. We even have home-grown shallots for the dressing! The tomatoes from the store are red and taste like they should for a change. The only thing I’m missing is the green beans. Maybe it’s just me, but I just couldn’t buy the yellow wax beans the guy at PCC pointed out as an alternative. It’s just not the same. I just don’t get it. How can there be no beans in the middle of July?
edit, later in the day: I found some green beans. They are not from a farmer’s market, nor are they particularly petite. They are however, organic, green and free of blemishes. My dinner plans are saved.
Funny you should post this because I stood looking long and hard at the green beans at the farmer’s market yesterday. I was on my way out and already had a bag full of tomatoes, summer squash, and fava beans. I didn’t really *need* the green beans for anything, would I eat them or would they languish and spoil for lack of a plan (my weakness)?
I decided against them but it was a hard decision because they looked SO good and there haven’t been any fresh, good -looking green beans in the supermarkets. Since the markets south of I-90 tend to run sparse on things I want on a regular basis, it never occurred to me that there might be a larger dearth of beans out there. Strange!
Every year I resolve to shop more at farmer’s markets. Then I forget all about them. Part of the problem is our own garden is often producing the same things the local farmers are offering. More often, it’s the lack of habit required to ‘just do it.’
Hey Laurie,
Great article but I have the hunch that green beans are in fact, a winter veggie, and they are on there last stalks during the months without an R in them, at least in my neck of the woods. Peas, however, have been staking around for some time so you might invite them for dinner the next time round.
stalking, I meant to say. Fat fingers at 7 am with the first cup of Java going down.
Well, staking your pea vines could also make sense. I make tons of typos on my iphone especially. And those you can’t change.
We grow green beans in the garden each year, and Bill says we’re usually getting them about now. Because of the long spate of cold weather, though, our plants are just beginning to show sign of real growth.