How to Tell If Pole Beans Are Tough or Tender?
Pole beans are found in home gardens and farmers' markets. If they are not picked at the proper time they will have a tough, fibrous texture, which renders them inedible. Even if you know nothing about pole beans, you can still select the best tasting from your own yard or the market. Once brought into your kitchen, prepare your favorite snap bean, green bean, string bean, or pole bean recipe with them. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Harvest beans from your garden after the dew has completely dried off the plant to avoid mold formation on the pods.
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Look at the beans available either on your garden poles or at the market. Select the thinnest beans, and avoid bulging beans, indicating that the bean aged beyond the tender pod stage.
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Choose brightly colored beans. Discard any with discoloration or signs of mold, as these often occur on older pole beans or those mishandled after harvest.
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Opt for beans with tight, smooth skin, and avoid those with leathery, aged pods.
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Break one of the beans in half. Listen for a snap sound, indicating a tender, ready to eat pole bean.
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Store the unwashed beans in a plastic bag for up to three days in a vegetable crisper drawer in the refrigerator. Use as soon as possible to prevent the beans from becoming tough during storage.
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Leave pole beans too old and tough for harvesting as green beans on the plant and pick them after the bean inside has fully developed. Shell the beans, discarding the pods and prepare the inner beans as you would other shelled beans.
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