There are several good stories that surround string beans. One of my favorites involves my mother. Her mother, who we called Granny, worked full time after my mother was old enough to be of help around the house. My grandmother often cooked in a hurry, but one cannot rush good southern string beans. Granny would start the beans prior to going to work, and then she counted on Mom to babysit them.
The first time my mother babysat Granny's beans, she let all of the water cook out of them and they burned so badly that they had to be thrown away. The reason given was that she was enjoying playing with the puppies of her brother's hunting dog. Mom would lay on her bed with the window open and call, "Here pup! Here pup! Woop, woop, woop!" The puppies would dash from the back door to the front door and so the summer day was whiled away. That night, a pot of burned beans and worn out puppies.
The second time that my mother burned the beans was due to her not wishing to mow the yard. She put on her shorts and halter top to mosey outside when she knew the boy down the street was outside. Then she chatted with him while he sweated and did all of her yard work. This time, she not only burned the beans but she melted Granny's favorite bean pot. (Never has this wonderful pot been replaced, and no pot created before or since has been up to the fine bean-cooking standards of that poor melted pot.)
The third time that my mother burned string beans was because the electric burner that melted the pot was now damaged. Remember, Granny cooked fast, so she would toss food at a pan on the stove, push the button for the hottest setting and fry an egg or boil some water. Granny never noticed an anomaly. So Granny put on the beans, warned Mom to watch the new pot of beans, and went to work. Mom decided that these beans had better be perfectly cooked, so she added extra water and reduced the heat before going outside to tan herself and read. However, the electric burner now only had one setting - hotter than hot. Again, the water boiled out and the beans scorched to the point where they were inedible.
Green beans were never cooked when both Granny and Mom were within hearing distance that bantering about burned beans did not occur.
Both Granny and our other grandmother, MeMaw, had gardens and grew green beans. These beans are not like the ones you find in most farmer's markets or the supermarket. They were big and had colorful beans that would cook out of them. The flavor was amazing. I've heard them called a few names, and actually found seeds to try to grow them, but have not grown them yet. Granny always grew greasy beans. Memaw always grew cornfield beans. Both types could be used for shucking and I've heard both types called "shuck beans" and they are good for cooking, drying or canning.
Cornbread, tomatoes, and green beans were always available when anyone came in to MeMaw's house in the summer. My sister and I started to believe that we would never want beans again, but I've ordered seeds! I miss breaking beans with MeMaw on her porch. MeMaw would wear these "Momma-san" aprons made from feed sacks that had all seen better days. Beans would be loaded into the apron and we would string and break the beans right into the pot. I don't know how she did it, but MeMaw's beans were always extremely uniform in size, and she prepped beans fast!
Mom could do this really well too. Granny and I, on the other hand, never mastered this so our beans were always of varying size. (At least, we could almost guess who broke them up!)
So how to cook them. Remember, these are southern beans. There is no term called "tender-crisp" when it comes to good southern beans. You cook the stuffing out of them, and they beg for cornbread to go with them!
Okay, so get your fresh green beans. It's nice to pick them, but the farmer's market is fine. Most beans you find today are "string-less," but if you can find proper shuck beans, break off the end and pull the strings off before breaking up the beans. If you have shuck beans and you feel one that is leathery, just shell it out keeping the bean and toss the pod.
Wash them well and put them in a pot. Add water until it covers the beans for about 2 inches (~5cm) and bring them to a boil. Boil gently for 5 to 10 minutes and drain well. Return the beans to the pot and add the same amount of fresh cold water.
This is where you will add seasonings - except we never add salt until the end. You can add pepper, hotshot, a bit of onion, garlic, and some kind of meat or bone for flavoring. MeMaw had a smokehouse for many years, so she always used things like a smoked ham hock or ham bone. If using a ham hock, she would slice it up into rounds about 1/2 inch (1.5cm) thick. (I think she actually had a bone saw to do this!) Granny would add salt pork, bacon, or even a smoked chicken/turkey wing. Really, you can use what you like as long as it will yield awesome flavor. I had bacon on hand, so used about 6 strips but I could have easily made do with 4. I also simply added black pepper. Perhaps a teaspoon or so. No, it does not look tasty at this point.
Bring to a boil, cover, and let it simmer. Keep the beans just under water. Cook for at least 2 hours, but you can simmer it all day if you have proper shuck beans. I didn't, so 2 hours was plenty. After 2 hours, add new potatoes, or peeled potato chunks to the bean pot. (I had new potatoes, so I scrubbed and cut them and left the skins on.) Just rinse and drop them in and cover again to cook for another 45 minutes or so.
Uncover and let the liquid start to cook down. You can turn up the heat but don't let the water cook all of the way out! When the liquid is cooked down, taste a bean and adjust the salt. (Different meats will require more or less salt. My huge pot of beans needed about 1/2 teaspoon of salt!) Remove the meat/bones and fat. Strip any meat off the bones and fat to return the meat to the pot. These beans get better and better for the next three days. One item is needed: Cornbread.
As to which meat is best to use, generational family feuds have been waged on such an answer, so when you decide what you like, you might wish to keep it to yourself. (I will say that I do not like bacon as well as other things, but these were still pretty good beans!)
