Green bean
Phaseolus vulgaris
Common bean eaten as immature pods (snap) or as dry seeds (black, pinto, kidney — same species, different harvest). Raw dry beans contain phytohaemagglutinin and must be cooked.
GROW → HARVEST → EAT → DRY → POWDER → CAPSULE → GUMMY — forms are not equivalent. Food first.
Identity
Also called: snap bean, string bean
What it is
Common bean eaten as immature pods (snap) or as dry seeds (black, pinto, kidney — same species, different harvest). Raw dry beans contain phytohaemagglutinin and must be cooked.
Edible portions
- immature pods
- dried seeds after cooking
Absence of a portion from this list means it is not treated as food here — not that every other part is toxic.
Growing
- Climate. Annual warm
- Light. Full sun
- Soil. Average, not freshly manured nitrogen overload for pods
- Planting. Direct-sow in warm soil. Pole vs bush is habit, not species.
- Harvest. Pods before seeds bulge for snaps. Dry beans when pods rattle.
Preparation and culinary uses
- Steam or stir-fry snaps
- Boil/simmer dry beans until fully soft
Nutrition and compounds
- Minerals (qualitative). iron, magnesium, potassium, protein — look up current USDA FoodData Central entries for numbers.
AAA interpretation Food first. These associations explain why a plant shows up in a nutrient conversation — they are not a supplement shopping list.
Safety
- Do not eat raw dry kidney beans. Cook thoroughly.
Next steps
Sources
- USDA PLANTS Database — taxonomy and range (verify current entries)
- USDA FoodData Central — nutrient profiles for foods (verify current entries; this page does not invent milligrams)
- State cooperative extension growing guides — verify for your region
Honest incompleteness is preferred to fabricated completeness. If a section is missing, no record for it is attached here — not a claim that the plant lacks that characteristic, and not that it was omitted as a secret.
Internal quality class A. Strong page: distinctive plant facts plus practical growing or kitchen use.