Have Some Green Beans with Your Butter

Green beans fresh from the garden were favorites growing up. Whether my grandmother was feeding a hungry crew in from the fields during haying season or whether she'd prepared some green beans for a family summer get together in her backyard, her green beans were always so delicious. When we'd gather for picnics those green beans quickly disappeared. They were consistent in their taste. All she did after cooking them was add some milk, a bit of butter, salt and pepper. I can still see her sitting outside on the back stoop of her farmhouse in her house dress and apron, cutting the ends off the beans, then slicing those beans fresh from the garden.

My mother sometimes sat outside to cut the ends off her green beans, then slice them into pieces but more often than not, she'd have me do it. Maybe that's because I'd snip those ends off in record time. Slice them just as fast and enjoy a few along the way. After they were cooked, she prepared them as my grandmother did. They were delicious. 

But over the years her recipe changed. I have no clue why but it was quite noticeable. When we'd gather for family dinners the comment between us was, "Have some green beans with your butter!"

She'd add so much butter to the green beans sitting in a stainless steel pan that the butter was more prominent than the beans. But we ate them! The warmer they were the better since the butter became soupier. It didn't stick to the beans like it did if the beans weren't so warm. 

The other day I bought some green beans at an Amish stand. I prepared them like my grandmother prepared her green beans. I waited until my son Brian had eaten some of the beans before asking how they tasted all nice and warm mixed in with the milk, pepper, salt and a bit of butter.

He told me they were okay. Then he added, "They need more butter!"