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Oklahoma Agriculture in the Classroom

Calendar


July

Oklahoma Vegetable of the Month: Green Beans

Green Beans

Green beans are available year round, with a peak season of May to October. Green beans are also called string beans and snap beans. Green beans were once called string beans because a fibrous string ran along the seam of the bean. The string was noticeable when you snapped off the ends. The snapping noise is the reason for its other nickname. Today they are stringless. Green beans are also available canned and frozen.

Snap beans originated in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica. By 1492, they had spread northward to what is now the southwestern United States and then spread eastward from Florida to Virginia. US farmers began breeding the bean around 1890 because of interest in bean varieties with stringless pods.

According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, one cup of fresh green beans (about 100 grams) contains 31 calories , 0 grams of fat, 7 grams of carbohydrate , 3 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar and 2 grams of protein.

Green beans are a rich source of vitamins A, C and K and also contain folate, thiamin, riboflavin, iron, magnesium and potassium.

Book
Tagliaferro, Linda, The Life Cycle of a Bean, Capstone, 2007. (Grades PreK-2)
This early reader book explores the development of the green snap bean, from seed through germination, growth, flower development and pollination, on to seed development.