Mushroom & Green Bean

Sometimes the simplest side dishes make the meal. This one is a real treat, especially if you have just picked the beans fresh from the vine or bush outside your own back door.

3 lbs fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into
inch long pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 lb sliced button mushrooms
2 tbsp butter

Boil green beans in salted water until tender crisp. Drain and plunge into cold water to preserve colour. Drain and dry.
Add butter and onion to pan and sauté until onions are translucent. Add mushrooms and sauté until soft.  Add beans and heat through season with salt and pepper.

This recipe is large enough to serve 8 as a side dish.

Winter Idea

Sauté in a tablespoon each of canola oil and butter, a tablespoon of minced onion, and a clove of garlic cut in half, until softened. Remove garlic and add a teaspoon of dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 cup of pepper along with 3 lbs of green beans to skillet, plus a 1/4 cup of water.  Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Serves 4.
Green beans also go well with bacon.

Fresh beans

When growing beans, harvest often to ensure that you will always have a fresh crop to replenish what you have picked.
Beans enjoy lots of fertilizer and consistent moisture.
Pole greens are a great excuse to buy one or two of those lovely garden tripods as support for them. They add an attractive vertical element to the garden while serving a practical purpose.