RE: Another Batch of String Beans Successfully Transplanted

String beans, hold several interesting secrets. Although in the kitchen we treat them as a vegetable, botanically they are the fruit of the plant, since the pod we eat contains the seeds inside. Their history takes us back to Mesoamerica, where they were domesticated thousands of years ago before traveling to Europe after the Columbian exchange. Their very name reveals a detail from the past: they used to have a tough, fibrous string running along the pod that had to be removed before cooking, something modern varieties almost no longer have. Nutritionally, they are a treasure: low in calories but rich in fiber, folate, and vitamin K, they promote digestion and bone health. And although they can be eaten raw if they are fresh and tender, they contain small amounts of lectins that are neutralized by cooking, so it is always best to give them a quick boil before enjoying them.