In season: pole beans

10 a.m. Saturday: Chef Jenn Robbins of Avalon. Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com.

Chef demos are held at many farmers markets. Check your local market’s Facebook page or website for information.

FOR SALE

Just arriving at markets: shallots

Vegetables, fruit and nuts: arugula, Asian greens, beans, beets, blackberries, blueberries, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, endive, fennel, garlic, herbs, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, Malabar spinach, mushrooms, mustard greens, okra, onions, peas, peaches, pecans, peppers, plums, potatoes, radishes, raspberries, shallots, sorrel, spinach, spring onions, squash blossoms, strawberries, summer squash, tomatoes

From local reports

Farmer Anna Pfenninger of Suburban Fresh Farm in Marietta says her favorite vegetables to grow are beans. “They’re such a fast grower and they provide so much gratification.”

And of the beans, pole beans are her favorite kind to grow, reminding her of the Ozark mountain gardens of her childhood. “Pole beans produce longer than bush beans, and as a farmer, they give us more options. We can pick them when they’re small and tender or leave them on the plants a little longer. In my container gardens, they produce more in less space,” she said.

Pole beans can grow up to five or six feet high and are usually trellised for support. Each plant can continue bearing beans until frost. Bush beans grow one to two feet high and tend to bear most of their beans at once.

Her 5-acre farm is home to a donkey, a pony, chickens and an organic garden laid out in container beds built on an old tennis court. “I started with six beds, then expanded to 17. I was growing more than we could eat ourselves so I decided to get into market gardening. I’ve enjoyed it so much that this year I’ve planted 51 raised beds,” said Pfenninger. Suburban Fresh Farm sells that extra produce at the Brookhaven and Woodstock farmers markets and at the farm.

For pole beans this year, Pfenninger is growing “Kentucky Wonder,” “Chinese Red Noodle” beans and a purple podded bean she buys from Seed Savers Exchange. She staggers her plantings to keep the harvest going as long as possible. She planted her first pole beans the first week of May and should be bringing them to market by the middle of July. With her staggered plantings, she should have pole beans available all the way until frost.

Growing the three varieties of pole beans, along with a number of bush beans including golden wax and “Dragon Tongue,” makes for a colorful display on her market table. Her customers typically buy a few of each. She encourages this by distributing a recipe for three-bean salad that uses several different colored beans along with garbanzos and tosses them all in a vinaigrette. Her favorite way to enjoy her fresh picked beans? Sauteed in olive oil with a little garlic.

One of the things she likes explaining to customers about the purple-podded pole is that the color is like having a built-in timer. The purple is gone when the beans are cooked through, although since Pfenninger likes her beans to have a little bite, she cooks them just until there’s still a little purple left. This heirloom variety was discovered in the Ozark mountains in the 1930s.

Adam Evans’ Marinated Pole Bean Salad

Hands on: 30 minutes Total time: 35 minutes Serves: 10

Chef Adam Evans of The Optimist suggests this salad would be great with anything you’d serve off of the grill. He likes watermelon radishes for this dish for the great color they provide, but any radish you have will do.

1 baguette, torn into bite-size pieces

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 pounds pole beans, tips removed

1 cup salt

1 bunch small organic carrots, thinly sliced lengthwise

3 medium-sized watermelon radishes, thinly sliced

2 shallots, very thinly sliced

1 tablespoon very thinly sliced peeled fresh ginger

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Zest and juice of 3 limes, divided

1 bunch mint, leaves only

1 bunch basil, leaves only

1 bunch cilantro, leaves only

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine baguette pieces with olive oil until bread is completely saturated with oil. Spread bread evenly in prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake baguette pieces until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Made be made up to 1 day ahead and kept stored in an airtight container.

In a large saucepan, bring 1 gallon of water to boil with 1 cup salt. Prepare a large bowl of ice water and set aside. Drop beans into boiling water, being careful not to crowd the saucepan. You may need to cook the beans in several batches. Cook the beans just until they turn vibrant green and are tender. Immediately remove from boiling water and drop into ice water bath. It is very important not to overcook the beans. Continue with remaining beans.

While beans are cooling, in a medium bowl, combine carrots, radishes, shallots and ginger. Season well with salt and pepper. When vegetables begin sweating some of their liquid from the salt, after about 5 minutes, stir in the lime zest and juice.

When beans are cooked and cooled, cut them into 2-inch pieces. Add beans to carrot mixture and stir in mint, basil and cilantro. Mix well and taste for seasoning.

Per serving: 254 calories (percent of calories from fat, 43), 6 grams protein, 32 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 12 grams fat (2 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 924 milligrams sodium.