From Garden to Table (and Jar): Everything You Need to Know About Fresh Green Beans & Pole Beans

It's Bean Season — And This Week's Harvest Is Beautiful

If you've been waiting for the moment to stock up on green beans and pole beans, that moment is right now. Mid-July brings some of the best bean harvests of the entire summer — pods that are plump and firm, snapping clean with a satisfying crack, and carrying that unmistakable fresh-from-the-vine flavor that you simply can't replicate from a grocery store shelf.

At Open Air Market Produce Stand here in London, Kentucky, we've got fresh green beans and pole beans ready and waiting for you this week. Whether you're cooking up a big family side dish, planning a week's worth of meals, or getting ready to put up a batch for winter, now is the time to grab a bag — or a whole bushel. Come see what fresh produce in London, KY really looks like.

Green Beans vs. Pole Beans: What's the Difference?

A lot of customers ask us about the difference between green beans and pole beans, and it's a great question! Green beans is the broad term most people know — they're the tender, slender pods that are eaten whole. Pole beans are a specific variety of green bean that grow on climbing vines rather than low bush plants. They tend to be slightly longer, a bit meatier, and many cooks swear they have a richer, more pronounced flavor than bush-type green beans.

Both are absolutely delicious, and both are in season right now. Pole beans hold up beautifully in long, slow-cooked dishes — think Southern-style beans simmered low and slow with a little seasoning. Bush-type green beans are wonderful blanched, roasted, or steamed and served simply with butter and salt. When you visit our produce stand in London, KY, feel free to ask us what we have on hand — we love helping customers find exactly what they need.

Classic Southern-Style Slow-Cooked Green Beans

There's a reason slow-cooked green beans have been on Kentucky dinner tables for generations — they are pure comfort food. To make a classic pot, start by snapping your beans into 1½ to 2-inch pieces, removing the stem ends and any strings as you go. Rinse them well and add them to a large pot. Cover with water or chicken broth, add a smoked ham hock or a few slices of thick-cut bacon, season with salt and pepper, and let everything simmer on low heat for 45 minutes to an hour. The beans will turn silky, tender, and deeply savory — and the pot liquor (that's the broth left behind) is liquid gold for dunking cornbread.

This is the dish that says 'home' to so many people in Laurel County and across Eastern Kentucky. When you start with truly fresh beans from a local produce stand, the difference in flavor is remarkable. The fresher the bean, the better the pot.

Quick & Fresh: Green Bean Recipes for a Busy Week

Not every night calls for a slow-simmered pot of beans, and that's okay — green beans are one of the most flexible vegetables you can bring home from the market. For a quick weeknight side, toss trimmed green beans with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper, then roast them at 425°F for 15–18 minutes until the edges are slightly blistered and caramelized. They come out crispy, savory, and absolutely addictive.

For something a little different, try a chilled green bean salad. Blanch the beans for 3–4 minutes, then shock them in ice water to lock in that gorgeous bright green color. Toss with a light vinaigrette, sliced cherry tomatoes, and a handful of toasted almonds or crumbled feta. It's a refreshing summer side dish that comes together in under 20 minutes and pairs beautifully with grilled chicken or fish. Fresh produce from a stand like ours in London, Kentucky makes dishes like these shine — because the ingredient itself is already doing most of the work.

Preserving the Harvest: Canning and Freezing Green Beans at Home

One of the greatest gifts of peak green bean season is the opportunity to put some away for later. Home-preserved green beans in the middle of January taste like a memory of summer — and they're surprisingly simple to do with the right approach.

For canning, green beans are a low-acid vegetable, which means they must be processed in a pressure canner (not a water bath canner) to be safe. The process is straightforward: snap and wash your beans, pack them tightly into sterilized quart or pint jars, add a teaspoon of canning salt per quart, fill with boiling water leaving an inch of headspace, and process in your pressure canner according to your tested recipe — typically around 25 minutes for quarts at the appropriate pressure for your altitude. Always use a current, trusted resource like the Ball Blue Book or the National Center for Home Food Preservation for exact times.

If you prefer a simpler method, freezing works beautifully too. Blanch your cleaned, snapped beans in boiling water for 3 minutes, then immediately transfer them to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain, dry, and spread them on a sheet pan to freeze individually before transferring to freezer bags. They'll keep well for up to a year and go straight from the freezer into soups, stews, and casseroles all winter long. Picking up a bushel from your local Laurel County produce stand right now is one of the smartest things you can do for your winter pantry.

A Summer Tradition Worth Snapping Into

For many families in London, Kentucky and across Laurel County, snapping green beans is as much a summer ritual as fireworks on the Fourth of July. Gather the family on the porch with a big bowl in the middle, put on some music or a ballgame in the background, and work through a pile of fresh beans together. It's one of those slow, satisfying tasks that somehow turns into real conversation and real togetherness.

We've had customers tell us their kids and grandkids look forward to bean-snapping afternoons as some of their favorite summer memories. That's the kind of thing that happens when real, fresh, seasonal produce is part of your family's routine. It connects you to the seasons, to the table, and to each other in a way that a bag of frozen vegetables just never will. This is exactly why we've been serving our community since 1984 — and why we take such pride in having quality fruits and vegetables ready for you every single week of the season.

Come See Us This Week — We're Open Every Day!

Green beans and pole beans won't be at peak season forever — mid-summer is the sweet spot, and we encourage you to come in sooner rather than later to grab yours. Whether you need a small bag for tonight's dinner or a full bushel for a big canning session, we've got you covered at Open Air Market Produce Stand.

We're located at 1594 Barbourville Rd, London, Kentucky 40744 — easy to find, with plenty of parking. Our hours this week are Monday through Friday 10 AM to 6 PM, Saturday 9 AM to 6 PM, and Sunday 11 AM to 6 PM. We are open seven days a week all summer long, so there's always a good time to stop by. Come check out what else is fresh and in season while you're here — summer at the stand is something special, and we'd love to see you. As the oldest and longest-running produce market in Laurel County, we're proud to be London's go-to destination for the freshest produce around. We'll have the beans ready — just bring your appetite and your canning jars!