Re: Flat beans? Second try

[Guest guest]

Angie,

I am not sure on this one. I think the Italian ones can tend to have a larger,

starchier inner bean.... inside the pod.... depending on how mature they were

when picked. I'll have to defer to someone else for bottom-line legality. They

aren't listed on Elaine's website.

Patti

Flat beans? Second try

Today (yesterday) at work I was given a bunch of fresh green beans and flat

beans. I'd

never

encountered the latter before. I was told that they are the same as green

beans, just flat. I've

done some poking around on the Internet. They seem to also be referred to as

Italian Flat

Beans and are referred to as a kind of green bean. Legality?

Angie, Gus's mom

SCD since July 1

family of four to support

nine year old with ADHD and

malabsorption issues

[Guest guest]

>

>

> Today (yesterday) at work I was given a bunch of fresh green beans and flat

beans. I'd

> never

> encountered the latter before. I was told that they are the same as green

> beans, just flat. I've

> done some poking around on the Internet. They seem to also be referred to as

> Italian Flat

> Beans and are referred to as a kind of green bean. Legality?

>

Flat bean sor broad beans are not legal, Angie. They are too starchy. String

beans are

legal.

Carol F.

SCD 6 years

[Guest guest]

> >

> Flat bean sor broad beans are not legal, Angie. They are too

starchy. String beans are

> legal.

Can we look into this a little farther? The flat bean is not the

same as the broad bean. The flat bean is considered a snap bean and

tastes like it. It is also called Romano. The broad bean is also

called Fava and is a bean that is shelled. I don't claim to be an

authority on all the legals and illegals, but having found nothing

by Elaine about flat, Italian, Romano beans, and knowing that they

tasted identical to snap beans and were prepared the same way, we

have been eating them. I found these two links and would like to

search more. Maybe Carol's famous Googling might shed more light.

I would hate to leave out a good food because it's mistaken for

something else. Especially because I think Angie's in the process

of freezing them.

http://www.foodsubs.com/Snapbean.html

http://www.foodsubs.com/Shellbeans.html

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/Crops/BeanBroad.html

http://www.felcopruners.net/Snap%20Bean%20Seed.0.html

http://www.felcopruners.net/Fava%20Beans.0.html

, mom to

[Guest guest]

>

>

> > >

> > Flat bean sor broad beans are not legal, Angie. They are too

> starchy. String beans are

> > legal.

>

> Can we look into this a little farther? The flat bean is not the

> same as the broad bean. The flat bean is considered a snap bean and

> tastes like it. It is also called Romano.

I checked on the Internet and they look like a flatter sort of string bean.

Italian flat bean = Romano bean = runner bean Notes: These green or yellow

beans are

like ordinary green beans, but they're flatter. Select small, brightly colored

beans that

snap when you break them in half. Substitutes: green bean (Green beans have a

rounder

pod than Italian flat beans, but they can be used interchangeably in most

recipes.)

I still can't find out about the type of starch in the flat bean but from the

descriptio above

they sound OK.

Carol F,

SCD 6 years

[Guest guest]

I do think they are probably okay.... but again, will stress that it depends on

how mature they are when picked. If you let them get pretty mature, the inner

bean will grow larger... and be starchier. Try to harvest them when pretty

small... less fibrous that way, too.

My grandmother always grew... and canned... these Italian beans, but she let

them get pretty mature. I always picked the big, chewy inner bean out and left

them in a little pile on my plate, which got me in trouble with Grandma more

than once!

Patti