Green Beans
Green beans should not be confused with magic beans. Magic beans are usually multi-coloured, may sparkle and generally lead to beanstalks and giants if planted – but that’s another story.
Nutrition
They’re rich in vitamins A, C, and K which are essential for supporting your immune system and wound healing.
Shopping Guide
Ideally when shopping for green beans go for firm pods with a vibrant green colour, free from cuts and bruises.
Storage
Green beans can be stored in the fridge for up to a week when kept dry and stored in a sealed bag or container.
Serving Suggestion
They’re quick to prepare, simply wash, dry and cut off the ends. You can steam, boil, sauté or stir fry until soft. Try melting a knob of butter and a couple of crushed garlic cloves into a frying pan, toast the garlic until golden, then toss in the beans, with a little salt & pepper and you’ve got a great side for dinner. Barely cooked green beans are great with dips, but make sure you always cook them for at least a couple of mins as raw green beans contain small amounts of toxins so should be avoided.
Seasonality
Buying veg in season is not only great for the planet, it can be good for your wallet, too! Seasonal veg are often cheaper and frequently taste better, so can be a better time to try with a child as the often sweeter, riper taste is more enjoyable.
Coming In:
June
At Its Best:
July - October
Engage
Here are some of our favourite ways to engage kids with green beans:
Arts & Crafts
Start simple with some non-food based engagement. This is especially helpful for a fussier child or those with sensitivities around food.
For green beans, why not try making letters using green beans? Can they spell out their name with them?
Puzzles & Games
Puzzles and games are all about fun and centering them on veg brings a positive association with it. Like arts & crafts, this is great for those who aren’t yet ready to interact physically with the veg, but it can still be fun for all!
For green beans, why not try playing a version of pick up sticks with green beans? Or why not play a maths game to count with beans, or spell out numbers or tally charts with beans?
Sensory
Sensory exploration can be a wonderful introduction to physically interacting with veg. Turn it into a positive, pressure-free experience by starting off with the golden rules of “You don’t need to try and you don’t need to like.” Reassuring a child that, while they have a chance to taste a veg, they don’t have to, and are not expected to like it if they do, can make them more happy to engage with it.
Why not explore green beans through hearing? Grab a handful and have fun snapping them next to ears or biting down and describing the sound they make. To take it further, get some runner beans and mangetout as well and compare the noise and crunch levels from different kinds of beans and peas.
Kids in the Kitchen
Children who help to prep and cook veg are more likely to eat it. If you feel your child is ready to help and could benefit from it, keep the stress and mess to a minimum by choosing one simple task for them to do as part of the prep, meaning they can be involved and feel like the recipe is in part ‘theirs’, but also not make the process too much longer or more complicated.
For a younger child, why not give them the job of prepping fresh green beans. Little ones love this! Get them to wash their hands and the beans, then sit them down with the green beans and 2 bowls: one for the ends that they snap off and any stringy bits they pull off, and one for the prepped beans.
For an older child, it could be a great opportunity to master a simple side. If they aren’t ready for pans over heat to steam or boil fresh beans, try giving them a bag of frozen green beans and show them how to defrost in the microwave. Fry a little crushed garlic in a tablespoon or two of butter in a pan for 30 seconds and let them toss the beans in the garlic butter for a kid-friendly, delicious side!
DOWNLOADS:
Use our Kitchen Ninja chart and videos to find simple ways for kids to help in the kitchen.
Your Food
Find your go-to meals in our family favourites section and see what veggies work best with them.
Find out how to add more veg to your suppers here.
Recipes
If You Like Green Beans…Try
Does your child enjoy green beans? That’s great! Green beans are usually savoury and slightly crunchy, so why not try a similar texture and/or taste…
Serving
The moments before food is offered can be a perfect opportunity for engagement that can help make it more likely a child will eat it!
The first thing to do is remove the pressure. If the veg doesn’t get eaten, it’s not the end of the world. There will be other days, other dinners, other chances. Fun is key here – try not to worry about mess, perfect table manners, or playing with food. Instead, focus on making the process of getting the food to the plates, readying the table, and the actual eating relaxed.
The best principles for success here are the Three Rs (role modelling, rewarding, re-offering) which you can read about here.
But there is one more way you can serve for success, and that is giving your child a role. You don’t have to do this every time, just encourage them in their strengths through it when you can.
Here are some of our favourite ideas:
Design a menu
Come up with a silly name or story for a dish
Help with making a meal plan and choosing veg for dinners or snacks
Help to serve up the meal on dishes, lay the table or create a centrepiece to be involved in the physical ‘serving up’ process
The Wonderful World of Veg
Check out our vegepedia. When to buy in-season. How to store them to keep for longer. How to engage children with each veg, and simple ideas of how to prepare and cook them for maximum taste and minimum waste. Select a veg…