This is such a pretty side dish to serve with ham. I’ve heard it said that the green bean is one of the world’s healthiest foods. It certainly is a food that is easy to grow and is prepared in so many ways.

I’ve seen them pickled, in casseroles, cooked with potatoes and used in soups and salads. They are delicious raw or cooked. I’ve always called them green beans but I have friends who call them string beans and snap beans. If you have a garden, you probably have green beans planted, but if they are not ready to pick, you can purchase them at your local farmers market or in your local grocery store.

Green beans and tomatoes were the top two items my family canned each year. We always canned enough vegetables to last us during the winter months when we did not have fresh vegetables. We washed jars and rings several times to make sure they were clean. We purchased new lids to seal our jars during the canning process. We picked, washed and snapped beans to prepare them for canning. This was an all day process, but the end result was well worth the work.

At the end of the day, we would have dozens of jars filled with green beans. They are beautiful to look at and perfect for those long, cold winter days.

Many of us who grew up with gardens no longer have the space to grow our own vegetables. That is why I enjoy going to the local farmers market. Local growers will display and sell their produce in season, all freshly gathered for us to enjoy. I live near Krupinski Farms in Foley and enjoy visiting their place of business. If they grow it, they sell it — an honest family business.

Green Bean Salad

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds whole green beans, ends trimmed

4 green onions, cut into bite-size pieces

¼ cup garlic, minced

1 large tomato, chopped

1 small sweet onion cut into small pieces

3 mini sweet peppers, red, yellow, orange, cut into bite-size strips

1 seedless cucumber, cut into bite-size strips

1/2 cup pecan pieces

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

Preparation

Bring large saucepan half full of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add green beans and cook for 8 minutes or until just tender. Drain and add ice water. When beans are cool, remove beans and drain completely. Place beans into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Add all other ingredients except pecans to a mixing bowl. Stir together and add to green beans. Toss together and arrange on a serving platter. Top with pecans.

It takes less than 10 minutes to cook this recipe; you will use the majority of your time prepping your vegetables.

From the scriptures

Spiritual food is essential for all of us, as well as physical food. We enjoy two or three meals every day. We should nourish our mind and feed our spirit daily just as we feed our body. Bible Verses are fabulous spiritual food. We should look forward to reading our Bible daily; just one or two verses of scripture each day would help feed our spirit.

Our Bible verse for this week is 1 Peter 1:3: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”