Kentucky style green beans

RE: Kentucky style green beans (Adjudicator)

Sat, 28 Jul 2007 10:40:41 GMT

That being said; I prefer Italian Green Beans. Mystery solved.

RE: Kentucky style green beans (herbalista)

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 06:58:33 GMT

I've never tasted Allen's, but I AM a vegetable gardener, so here's a bit about green beans.

ALL beans grow either as bush or pole, or both, whether they are grown for fresh use, or for dried beans. There are several reasons for growing bush beans rather than pole beans. Bush beans all tend to mature at the same time, so harvest is fast and complete, and the freezing or canning can all get done at one time. Also, there are more varieties available in bush beans than in pole. I prefer pole beans because they produce continually until frost, lots to eat regularly, with some left over for freezing and/or neighbors.

Italian Green Beans are Italian Green Beans, and Romano is one classic variety. They are always flat and broad podded, and have a distinct flavor and texture. They're usually more fibrous than an American green bean.

Kentucky Wonder Green Beans are a typical American classic variety of string beans, grown for many years, and the parent of many other varieties. (The other ranking American variety is Blue Lake.)

The bush Kentucky Wonder may well be flatter, but it's still a Kentucky Wonder, not an Italian Green Bean. I don't know about the bush variety, because I prefer pole varieties. As we speak, my Kentucky Wonder beans have been flowering seriously for several weeks, and I'm just starting to see my first beans, tiny things, between 1/4" and 1/2" long.

Both Kentucky Wonders AND Italian Green Beans taste delicious cooked "southern," i.e. with the addition of bacon grease or ham fat, cooked to a fare-thee-well, and with plenty of pot liquor to slop onto one's cornbread. Subtract the cornbread, and you have classic Pennsylvania German green beans, though they wouldn't have been likely to grow Italian beans.

There, more than you EVER wanted to know about green beans!

RE: Kentucky style green beans (Wannabchef)

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 22:20:31 GMT

Ahhhh - well here's the tried and true recipe
An old-fashioned Kentucky Proud favorite....Kentucky style green beans

You'll need:

2 quarts water

4 pounds fresh Kentucky Proud green beans, trimmed and snapped into 1 1/2 inch pieces

1 Kentucky Proud ham hock

1 Kentucky Proud onion, chopped

1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Place the water in a large pot, and mix in the green beans, ham hock, onion and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and cook 10 minutes.Reduce heat to low, and simmer 4 hours. Remove the ham hock, and slice the meat into small pieces. Return meat to the beans, and serve.

Yield: 8 servings.

RE: Kentucky style green beans (Deb118)

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 22:03:20 GMT

Excusse me for butting in. But I came across this discusion while googleing some varieties of green beans. And could not help but sign up, just to make a quick comment.
Jim, I have to say, I have grown the Kentucky Wonder Bush Beans for years. My mom grew them also. And, um.... Sorry dear.... but they DO produce more than once. Last year, I picked from my plants every other day, for WEEKS.

RE: Kentucky style green beans (Jim B.)

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 20:43:01 GMT

Hi -

From what I read, the bush variety of the Kentucky Wonder beans are flat and fairly wide (as is the Italian Romano beans) while the pole variety is not quite as wide and somewhat more rounded than the bush variety but not so round as to be classed as "round".

I've always liked the flatter bush variety but most "authorities", whoever they are, seem to think that the pole variety has better flavor and texture.

Another difference between the pole and bush varieties is that the pole bean plants will bear beans most of the summer but are labor intensive since, being grown on a pole or trellis, they must be hand picked. On the other hand, the bush variety can be harvested by machine but the bush only bears once so that, after being harvested, the plant is plowed under and seeds for new plants are sown. This means the farmer must stagger plantings in order to have an ongoing supply.

Complicated - huh? :=))

Regards,

Jim B.

RE: Kentucky style green beans (Adjudicator)

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 20:06:45 GMT

So... Is a Kentucky Wonder flat or round, then? I seem to like the flat variety much better.

RE: Kentucky style green beans (Jim B.)

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 18:47:49 GMT

Hi again -

There's been a number of comments related to the Kentucky Wonder bean and Allen's "Kentucky Wonder Style". Since that terminology indicated to me that Allen's beans were not actually Kentucky Wonders, I decided to go to the "horse's mouth", so to speak. I suspected they might be Romano beans but wasn't sure. Below is the response I received from Allen's Foods in Siloam, AR.

"We are using bush romanos such as Roma II. We have canned some KY bush beans out of Florida but we do not grow them ourselves. Some people refer this type of bean as "Case Knife" beans. All are stringless and flat."

I hope this answers some who may have been curious about the Allen beans.

Jim B.

RE: Kentucky style green beans (blue heaven)

Sun, 22 Apr 2007 08:04:28 GMT

Hi roadfooders...thanks for all your input...much appreciated

RE: Kentucky style green beans (iqdiva)

Sun, 22 Apr 2007 06:08:40 GMT

They're snap beans...

RE: Kentucky style green beans (Jim B.)

Sun, 22 Apr 2007 05:14:58 GMT

Hi -

It's my understanding there are two types of Kentucky Wonder Beans. There is the Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean and the Kentucky Wonder Bush Bean. As I understand it, most folks favor the pole variety for flavor and texture but, because of the expense for growers in setting up an maintaining the poles, the bush variety is becoming more prevalent. The bush variety is supposed to be somewhat wider and flatter than the pole beans. Picked young, they are generally stringless but develop some strings as they age on the vine.

Jim B.

RE: Kentucky style green beans (Adjudicator)

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 15:33:28 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by rouxdog

I purchased 2 cans of Allens green beans yesterday. Clearly states on label just below "Allens, etc." Kentucky Wonder style.

That's what I thought. I have been eating the Allen's brand for years but never paid attention to the type. All I ever do with them is cook until just hot with about 2-3 TBS. of bacon grease and maybe a little salt, depending upon the size of the can used. If no drippings available, I use 1-2 packets of the GOYA brand ham (Jamon) seasoning. Either way they are really good.

RE: Kentucky style green beans (iqdiva)

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 11:18:25 GMT

They're good with a shot of good ol' home made sugar cane syrup in 'em too !

RE: Kentucky style green beans (rouxdog)

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 08:25:56 GMT

I purchased 2 cans of Allens green beans yesterday. Clearly states on label just below "Allens, etc." Kentucky Wonder style.

RE: Kentucky style green beans (dickestep)

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 19:52:32 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Adjudicator

Well, I have deducted that "Kentucky Wonders" are pole beans but not all pole beans are KW's. The beans I think of with Allen's are flatter more than they are round. Allen's markets them under "Italian Style" green beans.

The Pole-type Kentucky Wonders are great to grow around your corn. They use it for support and help provide a little shade. They sure do taste good with a little sugar in them!

RE: Kentucky style green beans (Adjudicator)

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 18:33:35 GMT

Well, I have deducted that "Kentucky Wonders" are pole beans but not all pole beans are KW's. The beans I think of with Allen's are flatter more than they are round. Allen's markets them under "Italian Style" green beans.

RE: Kentucky style green beans (BhamBabe)

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 21:39:27 GMT

I looked at my cans today and none say what they are. But it was obvious that they were bigger.

I don't eat em out of a can, but my kids love em

RE: Kentucky style green beans (Adjudicator)

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 20:02:08 GMT

Pole beans? "Allen's" is a good brand. My definition might not reflect yours though. They are called different things in different areas.

RE: Kentucky style green beans (rouxdog)

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 15:27:51 GMT

Count me in. "Kentucky Wonders"

RE: Kentucky style green beans (mayor al)

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 12:28:44 GMT

I agree, they sound like 'Kentucky Wonders' to me too. They are available at most garden centers and internet merchants selling garden seeds.

RE: Kentucky style green beans (BhamBabe)

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 12:19:04 GMT

In a recipe that would mean something like vinegar and onions added with some sort of smoked meat. In a can, it prolly means Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans which are somewhat broad and a bit rounded but bigger than most snap beans.

RE: Kentucky style green beans (Ashphalt)

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 12:17:23 GMT

Did they taste of bourbon?

Kentucky style green beans (blue heaven)

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 11:40:14 GMT

Hi I was wondering what Kentucky style green beans are. I bought a can (can't remember what brand, but the label said Kentucky style. The beans were wide kind of like pole beans.