Shoes, Ships, and Sealing Wax

Green beans through the ages

When we cleaned out her house after my grandmother died a few years ago I ended up with boxes of her old cookbooks. I was interested to note that some were earlier editions of cookbooks I had...Fannie Farmer, Better Homes & Gardens, Joy of Cooking...so I started going though to see how recipes had changed.

Not long after that I bought a reprint of the original Boston Cooking School, and in mentioning my growing collection to my other grandmother, she turned over her copy of Fannie Farmer to me, too. I now have a collection that goes from 1896 to 2002.

To show how things have changed a bit, here are the green (or string) bean recipes from each:

The original, 1896:

String beans that are obtainable in winter come from California; natives appear in market the last of June and continue until the last of September.

Remove strings, and snap or cut in one-inch pieces; wash, and cook in boiling water from one to three hours, adding salt the last hour of cooking. Drain, season with butter and salt.

My late grandmother's Boston Cooking School, 1930:

Select beans as nearly stringless as possible. Test by gently pulling off tip end. One pound serves four. Remove ends and strings, snap or cut in inch pieces. Wash, cook in boiling water 20 minutes to 1 hour, or until soft, adding salt when half done. Drain, season with butter and salt. If desired, cook with small piece of ham, bacon, or salt pork.

My other grandmother's 11th edition Fannie Farmer, 1959:

One pound serves four. Select beans that are crisp enough to snap when broken and are fresh-looking, with a bright, clear color.

Wash thoroughly. Cut off the ends. Cut with a sharp knife or scissors in 1-inch pieces. Or cut in very thin diagonal strips with a bean cutter; or cut lengthwise and then crosswise in thin pieces about 1 1/2 inches long.

Cook about 2 minutes in a pressure saucepan, or 15 to 20 minutes in a covered pan in boiling salted water 1/2 inch deep. Drain. Add salt and butter to taste. Sour cream is delicious in place of butter. Season with finely cut dill or chives, if you like.

And most recently, my 13th edition, 2002:

Green beans were once called string beans. Today they are stringless; just break off the ends as you wash them. Green beans, wax beans, and pole beans may all be cooked the same way, until just tender but crunchy. Try them fried whole in beer batter for a change sometimes.

Wash the beans and remove the ends and strings, if there are any. Leave them whole or cut into diagonal strips. Drop them into a large pot of boiling water and boil them gently until just done, allowing about 5 - 10 minutes, depending on the size and age of the beans. Taste one to see if it is done; it should still be very crunchy. Drain the beans and rinse them thoroughly in cold water to stop the cooking. Reheat them in lots of butter, salt, and pepper just before serving.

The major change has obviously been cooking time...at least it has gotten faster to make dinner in the last hundred years. Boil beans for three hours? Just how tough were 19th century vegetables?

Posted by Nic at May 11, 2004 12:20 PM