The bean files.

Green beans:

aka French beans, snap beans, string beans

Unlike most other varieties, green beans are eaten with the pod. They’re also known as string beans because of the tough, fibrous string that used to run down the seam, but this has been bred out of modern varieties. Green beans are the most commonly found beans in our kitchens.

Selection: As a rough guide, green beans should be harvested when their diameter is a little thicker than a pencil. Use two hands to twist or snap the bean off the plant—heavily