Photo Credit: Mary Sue Stevens
There are many, many varieties of beans. Pole beans, bush beans, green podded, purple podded, yellow podded, striped pods, skinny, plump, wide, dry, fresh, snap, and even beans grown for their flowers--really its endless. For sake of this page we're just talking about fresh beans, ones eaten with their pod, the way most folks think about green beans.
For all intents and purposes beans grown for fresh consumption are very similar to one another. That being said there are variations in color, size, shape, flavor, and texture, but the variations are such that they compliment each other when prepared together, giving a fun, well-rounded bean experience.
Purple beans (or green, yellow, or stripy for that matter) are delicious and beautiful and are grown for those qualities. When cooked, most beans turn bright green, and only an officianado could discern the delicate subtleties of texture and flavor (a fine goal!) making them a veggie one could feel very brave about venturing into.
However if you wanted to show off their unusual color, these beans are sweet and tender and would shine fresh in a salad or on a snack tray!
What's the advantage to eating foods of different colors? Why beauty of course! But also, color equals vitamins. The (totally naturally occurring) chemical compositions the plant uses to make those colors are vitamins for us. The purple color in veggies specifically is from a compound known as anthocyanins, which is the same guy responsible for making blueberries blue and red cabbage red. This compound is incredibly good for our eyes, and is a great anti-oxidant, and has many other health boons.
For all intents and purposes beans grown for fresh consumption are very similar to one another. That being said there are variations in color, size, shape, flavor, and texture, but the variations are such that they compliment each other when prepared together, giving a fun, well-rounded bean experience.
Purple beans (or green, yellow, or stripy for that matter) are delicious and beautiful and are grown for those qualities. When cooked, most beans turn bright green, and only an officianado could discern the delicate subtleties of texture and flavor (a fine goal!) making them a veggie one could feel very brave about venturing into.
However if you wanted to show off their unusual color, these beans are sweet and tender and would shine fresh in a salad or on a snack tray!
What's the advantage to eating foods of different colors? Why beauty of course! But also, color equals vitamins. The (totally naturally occurring) chemical compositions the plant uses to make those colors are vitamins for us. The purple color in veggies specifically is from a compound known as anthocyanins, which is the same guy responsible for making blueberries blue and red cabbage red. This compound is incredibly good for our eyes, and is a great anti-oxidant, and has many other health boons.