A Veggie Tale: Green Beans with Bacon and Potatoes

Green beans are fresh and inexpensive in the months of July and August in Ohio. Forget about those beans in cans or freezer bags and buy them fresh now! 

I have eaten green beans my whole life and I still never tire of that first batch of summer fresh beans, cooked until tender and flavorful with bacon, onions and potatoes. Sometimes I’m surprised that I still look forward to fresh green beans. After all, there was a time when I would have been happy to never see a bean again!

When I was young, our garden yielded enough green beans for fourfamilies. I know this because my two younger sisters and I were assigned to help my mom plant the beans, weed them, pick them, then snap, wash, cook and preserve them.

To "the little kid me” this seemed like a never-ending job.  On countless summer days the three of us would descend on the bushy rows of green beans to fill our bags or buckets as sweat trickled down our backs. 

Then with the heavy bags in tow and our bare feet black from the rich soil of our garden, we'd climb up the grassy hill out of our garden and head for the front porch. 

Our ritual was always the same. First, weary from the picking and the heat, we dropped heavily into chipping, white wicker chairs. Then each of us would spread newspaper across our laps and pile beans on top. With big stainless steel bowls at our feet we'd begin. The sound of breaking beans filled the air, “Snap, snap, snap!” Our little fingers moved as fast as possible. Eventually the “Ping, ping, ping!” of the beans hitting the bottom of the empty metal bowls changed to a muffled sound as the bowls filled and finally (Ahhh, finally!) were heaped with beans and we were finished!

We’d knock on the kitchen door and turn the bowls of green beans over to my mom before we tore down our long lane, out of the yard, and across the neighbor's hayfield like we were on fire. We were headed straight for the pond across the road. There, we splashed into the water without breaking stride at the shoreline and swam hard to be the first on the raft anchored in the center.

Our neighbor friends would meet us there most evenings after their chores were finished too. We would swim and splash and laugh and play until one of the moms called us in for dinner. 

"See you tomorrow," we called to each other over the sound of frogs and crickets as dusk began to fall and the mosquitoes really started biting. We shuffled back along the trail we'd blazed down just and hour or two before. 

Then, still damp from the pond and kicking off our shoes, we'd swing open the back screen door and the smell of those fresh green beans bubbling on the stove would make us realize just how hungry we were.

Cooked in broth with bacon, onion and potatoes, these green beans serve as a hearty one-pot dinner rather than a side dish. We usually ate them with a side of plain white bread and butter and a tall, ice cold glass of milk.  

Green Beans with Potatoes and Bacon

1 onion, diced
4 slices of bacon, chopped

In a large pot, cook the onion and bacon together until onion is tender and bacon is crispy.

Add:

2-3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
3-4 cups of beef broth
1 1/2- 2 lbs. fresh green beans, cleaned and snapped
Salt and pepper

Add the potatoes to the onion and bacon. Add enough broth to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil. Add the green beans to the pot and return to boiling. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally for 45-60 minutes or until the potatoes and green beans are tender. Salt and pepper to taste.