Results tagged “beans” from Only in York County

Well, as of this writing, my vote for your veggie name poll is tied with 15 votes for "green beans" and 15 votes for "string beans."

Now, here's the funny part. If I voted, I would NOT have a tie-breaking vote! Want to know why?

Well, my friend Phil has the same reasoning, so I'll let him tell you:

"I really should vote twice and pick both. It depends on the dish. If served alone, 'green beans.' But in certain dishes, it changes. For example, 'string beans and ham.' "

That's exactly how I say it. I call them green beans, but a family favorite dish is "ham and string beans."

There you have it. 30 votes and two weeks later, still no definitive York County voice on the great bean debate of aught-nine. Ha!

(That said, thanks to all of you who weighed in on this one. I love hearing everyone's stories, including Jo, who had to tell me TWICE because she couldn't get her comment to post, and Joe, who makes a good case for "green" beans - all beans start in a "string," so you gotta tell them apart somehow!)

First, if you're visiting for the first time today to vote in the "what do you call that veggie" poll that appeared on the front page of the York Daily Record's Living section, you can do that by clicking here. Heck, even if you are a longtime reader, if you haven't voted yet - please do!

So far, "string beans" are beating out "green beans" as the name for the veggie in question. But I've had some interesting conversations about this that I'd like to share.

First, I asked my brother-in-law Mike, who reads faithfully but never comments, what he voted for. He said string beans, which is fine. But we started talking about, IF you were to pick green beans, what do you do when confronted with the yellow version of said beans? He says those are called wax beans, which I admit I have heard of but didn't realize what they were. (There are some pictured here. I think all the pictures make them look like very yellow french fries, but that's beside the point.)

Cubby, my virtual friend and a columnist for the Hanover Evening Sun, said she was raised calling them string beans and had kind of gotten away from that.

Melanie also votes for string beans; "snap them in two and you immediately see why," she wrote.

Jim Fahringer, a new commenter, said he also calls them string beans, but adds, "perhaps the real name is green beans or pole beans depending on whether they were grown on vines that grew up poles or grew on bushes."

He's also got a point that I think Jo (who hasn't weighed in yet - where are you, Jo?) would appreciate. He says: "By the way, if they are the kind that grow on bushes and hang down close to the ground, picking them is one of the most difficult back breaking jobs I ever had and are tied with picking strawberries as a back breaking job!" Jo, if you'll remember, said the strawberries she picked at Dover's Barefoot Farm really did her back in!

Anyway, there's still time to vote. For all the commenting seems to suggest "string beans" is far and away the name winner, it seems close. Those of you who picked green beans - leave some comments! :)

Those of you who read all the way to the end of my long post about Cracker Barrel Sunday dinners should have seen my pop quiz about what vegetable pictured in the post has two names. None of you answered, but you're still obligated to vote in my next poll!

Extra credit: Leave me a comment about why you prefer one name over the other!