Green Bean News

FairFruit Brings Year-Round Peas And French Beans to Canada

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 22:33:12 GMT

FairFruit, a company specializing in specialty vegetables and exotic fruits, has expanded its year-round specialty vegetable exports to Canada.

FairFruit says the Canadian market is a natural next step for its international sales evolution. Building on a positive track record in the U.S. and Europe, the company says the Canadian market offers a large and growing urban consumer base of 40 million people and a thriving food retail market.

“FairFruit offers Canadian buyers a sustainable supply proposition that combines consistency, honesty and long-term value,” says Evert Wulfrank, CEO of FairFruit USA. “Our year-round French beans and peas present a direct, dependable solution that addresses gaps in the Canadian market, backed by values that resonate with Canadian consumers. Our aim is become a recognized, trusted supplier to the eastern Canadian fresh produce trade.”

FairFruit says it used Canadian market research to identify opportunities to develop direct supplies from its own production companies in Guatemala and Peru. FairFruit says that dual origin model offers buyers supply continuity during the complementary primary growing seasons of Guatemala (November to April) and Peru (May to November).

“Our goal is to become a trusted, consistent supplier for Canadian buyers and a long-term partner in their growth,” Caroline Floren, sales and operations manager at FairFruit USA, says. “The quality of our relationships matters more to us than volume at the outset.”

Grown according to strict quality and food safety specifications, and packed and cold-chain managed from field to port, FairFruit says its portfolio includes both conventional and Fairtrade-certified French beans, peas, brassicas, and mini and colored carrots.

The company says established import hubs in eastern Canada present an attractive entry point for its year-round complementary Guatemalan and Peruvian supply model.

“We are a unique player with producers in both Guatemala and Peru, and we’re the largest company dedicated to exporting Peruvian peas to the UK, European Union, the U.S. and Japan,” Wulfrank says. “Our current customers choose us because our product arrives on specification, at consistent volume, season after season. We’re ready to offer Canadian buyers the same.”

FairFruit manages production from agronomic decisions in the field to quality validation at the packing stage. The company says this vertical integration enables it to guarantee consistent volume and specifications, reliability that retail and foodservice buyers require.

FairFruit will exhibit at the Canadian Produce Market Association’s Guatemala Pavilion, booth 1843, in Toronto, Canada.

What Keeps N.Y. Growers and Retailers in an Empire State of Mind

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 11:03:45 GMT

New York state is home to diverse agricultural regions and climates, from the Finger Lakes to the Hudson Valley to upstate New York, each with its own microclimate and crops grown.

According to 2022 data from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, fruit, berries and tree nuts contributed about $721 million and vegetables, melons and potatoes contributed $500 million to the state’s economy.

And for growers and marketers, it’s no wonder that New York earned the nickname, The Empire State.

Why New York?

“New York state is a prime place to grow produce because of the excellent and diverse soils, a climate that is regulated by the Great Lakes, vast flat plain-like farmland in the western part of the state, access to fresh water and proximity to market,” says Shannon Kyle, sales and marketing manager at Elba, N.Y.-based Torrey Farms Inc. “We can reach over 70% of this country’s population in six to eight hours by truck.”

Kyle says her family farm, which grows cabbage, cucumbers, onions, potatoes, pumpkins, winter and summer squash, and green beans, distributes its produce along the Eastern Seaboard and into Ohio and the St. Louis, Mo., area thanks to its location between Rochester and Buffalo.

“As weather plays a factor in other parts of the country, that can often create movement into other market areas as well,” she says. “We work with various retailers, wholesalers, food service distributors, and processors for all of our items.”

Cynthia Haskins, president and CEO of the New York Apple Association, says Mother Nature also helps create magic for the country’s No. 2 apple producer.

“The warm summer days and cool fall nights make New York state a perfect place to grow apples,” she says. “New York state has an ample water supply, stemming from the lakes, ponds and irrigation. New York is popular for growing apples with superior flavor and grows a little more than 30 apple varieties in promotional volumes.”

Haskins also says New York’s proximity to a large swath of the country helps its more than 500 family-owned orchards reach more retail partners across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic.

Cynthia Haskins, president and CEO of the New York Apple Association, says the state’s proximity helps its more than 500 family-owned orchards reach more retail partners across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. “Helping our retail partners source closer to where food is grown lowers freight costs and time and reduces their carbon footprint,” she says.

(Photo courtesy of the New York Apple Association)

“Helping our retail partners source closer to where food is grown lowers freight costs and time and reduces their carbon footprint,” she says. “New York apple growers are relatively close to many major cities in the U.S. and can deliver apples within 24 to 48 hours to these large markets; that’s a big sustainability selling point for Northeastern and mid-Atlantic markets.”

Marc Goldman, director of produce and floral for Bronx, N.Y.-based Morton Williams Supermarket, says he tries to highlight as much locally grown produce as he can, adding that locally grown can mean different things to different shoppers. And being in New York City, he’s always challenged with highlighting New York produce in a small footprint.

But, during apple season, Goldman says Lil’ Chief 2-pound bags with small, kid-friendly apples do well. The bags, he says, feature New York apple orchards on the back of the bag.

“The whole concept of it promotes New York state on the back of the bag,” he says. “It shows the farms, and I think it’s a really good way to sell the New York state apples.”

Season Outlook

Kyle says she’s “hesitantly optimistic” about the current growing season.

“At this point in the season, we expect to have some high-quality crops coming in as we get closer to harvest, but the market conditions all winter have me a little cautious about where pricing and movement will shake out,” she says. “As we all know in marketing it is all about supply and demand, and every year we experience peaks and valleys of supply depending on what is happening in our neighboring states who grow many of the same items as we do.”

Kyle says this competition from crops grown in Canada and Mexico can make it tough for New York growers, as Mexico has year-round supplies and Canada grows the same crops her family does.

“There is a lot more anxiety around the unknown of what the market conditions on our items will be, as highly perishable items often fluctuate significantly from day to day,” she says. “As we shipped our storage crops (onions and potatoes) this winter, the market was very flat, and I just hope that does not carry into the summer deal.”

Growers have become more concerned about the increase in the cost of farming in the state, Kyle says, noting that H-2A labor costs growers in the state around $18.83 an hour, plus overtime.

“The days of just planting a crop or some extra acres because you had the extra seed are over,” she says. “There is simply too much investment put into every acre we put in the ground, so I would say we have had to exhibit a lot more self-control and better planning to try to have a balanced level of supply for the demand that we know we can traditionally expect, with the obvious exception of the wild card of what Mother Nature will do.”

As for this season, Kyle says production in western New York is early with crops like cabbage thanks to cool temperatures and good rainfall in May. Heat-friendly crops such as cucumbers, squash and beans are a little behind schedule this year.

“I think in the eastern and southern parts of the state, the conditions have been even more challenging than what we have experienced in the western area, where the majority of our farmland is between Buffalo and Rochester,” she says.

Kyle says Torrey Farms planned to start harvesting cabbage at the end of June, which is early. She says her family looks to harvest green beans, zucchini and yellow squash around July 10, cucumbers around July 18 and onions around July 15.

“The cool wet May that we had was prime cabbage weather,” Kyle says.

Haskins says that despite the rainfall in spring and then warmer temperatures, this year’s apple crop looks good.

“Apple harvest will begin in mid-to-late August and continue through the first week of November,” she says.

Haskins says the New York Apple Association will partner with retailers for promotions this year, including display totes, polybags, pouches and bulk displays. She says geotargeting digital advertising as well as targeted social media to help promote New York-grown apples.

“Team NYAA is working closely with retailers in customizing the right mix of promotional offerings to drive sales and get New York apples front and center of consumers,” Haskins says.

New green bean packaging material cuts moisture

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 17:38:07 GMT

Guatemala-based Born Farms has introduced packaging material it says is designed to eliminate moisture inside its bagged, cleaned and trimmed green beans.

Packed in a case containing two bags of 5 pounds each, the bagging material is designed around evapotranspiration, which eliminates the condensation inside the bag, according to the company. Removing unneeded moisture from the bag allows for a fresher product and a longer shelf life of the beans for the end user.

“Supplying our customers with a superior product, one that stays fresh and has a longer shelf life, is our ultimate goal,” Christopher Safieh, vice president of Unispice, a grower and shipper of Born Farms products, said in a news release.

Evapotranspiration is the process that combines the movement of moisture from the surface and back into the atmosphere. This process combines evaporation and transpiration, which takes moisture and turns it into vapor. Too much moisture in the bag will cause it to break down faster, thus drastically reducing the integrity of the product.

“Our QA team in Guatemala is always looking for new and advanced processes that can improve how we operate and produce a better product, which is part of what Born Farms is all about,” Safieh said.

Options are available for retail, foodservice or wholesale operators and can be customized, the company said.

Lipman showcases green beans, other fresh-cut at PMA event

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 20:31:13 GMT

Lipman Family Farms , Immokalee, Fla., is highlighting its Clipped & Clean Green Beans and expanded fresh-cut line at the Produce Marketing Association’s Foodservice: Delivered.

Lipman’s fresh-cut line provides an assured supply through partnerships allowing the company to provide customers year-round with the value-added product, according to a news release.

The fresh-cut green beans are harvested, clipped, cleaned and packed to eliminate prep time and reduce labor.

“Our fresh-cut green beans are part of our year-round program of continuous partnership with customers looking for clean, safe and reliable product,” said Darren Micelle, chief operating officer, said in the release.

The beans are offered in bulk for foodservice, two 5-pound bags per case, and also in retail packs. They will be available starting in October, according to the release. Organic options are also available through the company’s Grown True label.

The beans are grown in Baja California, and Guasave, Mexico, and distributed by Lipman’s West Coast distribution networks.

Lipman will be showcasing a solutions sampling page through PMA’s Foodservice: Delivered, offering solutions to supply chain questions, according to the release.

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US Foods names Lipman as produce supplier of the year

Lipman to showcase fresh-cut green beans at Fresh Summit

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 20:31:08 GMT

Lipman Family Farms , Immokalee, Fla., is featuring new organic and conventional fresh-cut green beans at the Produce Marketing Association’s virtual Fresh Summit.

Shipments start in October and the product will be available to retailers year-round. The retail packaging is designed to enhance the product’s shelf life, according to a news release, and is microwaveable to eliminate prep time.

The fresh-cut beans are clipped and cleaned so they’re ready to cook.
“Whether our consumers are looking for a quick snack or want to create a delicious dish for Thanksgiving, we are excited to deliver a fresh, flavorful and safe product as part of our fresh-cut portfolio,” Sarah Miller, general manager, said in the release.

The green beans are hand-picked and are grown in Guasave, Mexico, and Baja California, Mexico and distributed by Lipman’s West Coast network, according to the release.

They’re available in a variety of sizes from 12 ounces up to 32 ounces, according to the release.

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How these employers managed their workforce amid the pandemic

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What’s Your State’s Most Googled Thanksgiving Dish?

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:20:22 GMT

They say Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year—but you have to wonder if the people who make those claims forgot about Thanksgiving. It’s a time when you can unabashedly eat as much as possible, enjoy quality time with family and spend the next day elbowing strangers in the face to get a good deal on a TV.

It’s the American dream.

For me, Thanksgiving brings up many memories of times with family—usually surrounding my mom or grandma in the kitchen. I’m sure I was in the way, but today I’m so grateful they let me stand by their side to learn family recipes and more of our heritage.

Because food is at the center of many Thanksgiving celebrations, House Method recently published a study finding what each state’s most Googled Thanksgiving dish and dessert. For my home state, Missouri, it’s green bean casserole—find the recipe here .

I’ve already shared my green bean casserole recipe, so I’ll look to the state I was born, Iowa, for this year’s inspiration. While I’m not 100% sure what corn casserole is for everyone, my family basically treats it as creamed corn. Here’s the recipe (large batch).

Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Corn

64 oz. frozen corn (or 18 cups of raw corn off the cob)

32 oz. cream cheese

1 cup butter cubed

½ cup sugar

6 slices American cheese

1 cup milk

Dump in a large crock pot and cook on low for three hours. Stir every 30 minutes.

It’s incredibly easy and tastes more like a dessert than corn—enjoy! Let me know how the recipe works for you or what your favorite Thanksgiving tradition is at sbegemann@farmjournal.com .

Value-added options abound from Salinas grower-shippers

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:33:32 GMT

As consumers continue to seek out time-saving options at mealtimes, grower-shippers in California’s Salinas Valley continue to offer them a wide range of convenient alternatives.

Gonzalez, Calif.-based Misionero Vegetables LLC markets a variety of value-added vegetables, including Brussels sprouts, green beans, sugar snap peas and squash as well as fresh-cut salads, said Nicole Zapata, marketing manager.

Organic and conventional value-added items are available for retail and foodservice customers.

Zapata said the value-added category continues to grow at retail and foodservice.

“Both consumers and operators are looking for healthy, easy-to-prepare options,” she said.

Ocean Mist Farms , Castroville, Calif., offers a retail-ready line called Season & Steam, said Diana McClean, senior director of marketing.

The line features unique packaging technology that allows consumers to open the bag, add their own personal seasoning, reseal the bag and microwave it.

“This packaging technology allows that personalization, and I want to emphasize, also gently steams the vegetables,” she said.

Some consumers may be averse to microwaving vegetables because of a previous experience, she said, but this packaging technology gives the product “nice mouth appeal.”

“It’s not mushy.”

The line includes:

Brussels sprouts, whole, halves and shreds;
Two-count medium artichokes; and
Sweet baby broccoli.

Ocean Mist Farms also offers value-added bagged spinach that’s washed and ready to eat, and the company is introducing foodservice packs of value-added cauliflower florets and cauliflower rice for foodservice or deli application.

And there’s a 2-pound bag of sweet baby broccoli for foodservice that’s washed and ready to prepare.

Hitchcock Farms , Salinas, Calif., recently completed rebranding of its Garden Hearts romaine hearts, said Dan Holt, vice president of sales and marketing.

The company was the first to introduce romaine hearts to the marketplace in the early 1990s, he said.

“We’ve gone to a more modern look,” Hitchcock said.

The rebranding applied to various packs and cartons, including value-added 12x3 and 7x6 cartons of bagged romaine hearts for retail, he said.

Romaine hearts also are available for foodservice.

Foodservice rebranding was completed last year, Holt said.

Foodservice operators find that the cartons add convenience, since they can be stored on racks in walk-in coolers, and food preparers can remove the bags they need.

All of the company’s value-added items are designed to help buyers save money and labor, he said.

The product line at Salinas-based Church Bros . Farms includes Brussels sprouts, veggie crumbles, little gems, veggie cubes, sweet baby broccoli, value-added salads, field-pack veggies and specialty items, said Mary Poma, marketing manager. Sweet baby cauliflower is coming soon.

Foodservice offerings scheduled for introduction in March/April include various cuts of Brussels sprouts, cauliflower rice, cubed butternut squash and washed sweet baby broccoli.

“We are in the process of developing different items for our foodservice partners that we hope to have ready soon,” she added.

Church Bros. Farms has seen a great deal of interest from foodservice partners in its value-added options obtained from its recent acquisition of the Green Giant Fresh value-added vegetable business from Salinas-based Growers Express LLC, she said.

“They are looking for items that will help them save time and labor in the kitchen.”

The value-added cooking vegetable category at retail has been growing and outpacing bulk cooking vegetable for five years or more, said McClean of Ocean Mist Farms.

“Convenience has, for the past several years, been a primary purchase driver in the retail space,” she said.

Brussels sprouts, cauliflower florets and rice and broccoli florets are some of the most popular value-added items.

Private-label value-added cooking vegetables continue to lead category growth.

“We can supply retailers in their private-label programs with broccoli and cauliflower florets, spinach, Brussels sprouts and sweet baby broccoli,” McClean said.

“Private label is what the retailers have been investing in and building equity behind.”

A differentiator for Ocean Mist Farms’ value-added line is that raw product is grown, cooled and processed by the company itself.

“We are the grower, we are the processor, we are the shipper,” she said. “That allows us to guarantee order fulfillment, consistency and quality.”

Related Content:
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Salinas Valley crops look promising, growers say
Helping growers safeguard workers from the coronavirus

Misionero’s Green Wave Farms adds saute kits at Fresh Summit

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:40:38 GMT

Misionero Vegetables , Gonzales, Calif., is introducing green beans and Brussels sprouts saute kits under its Green Wave Farms fresh-cut line at the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit expo.

The Green Beans Saute Kits and Brussels Sprouts Saute Kits will be appearing in stores in November, according to a news release.

The kits, designed to meet rising trends of convenient and healthy foods, have four ingredients, come with quick preparation guides and can be heated and served in less than 15 minutes.

“We’re constantly innovating our products to meet consumer needs,” Nicole Zapata, marketing manager at Misionero, said in the release. “Launching the new kits this fall allows us to provide shoppers a fresh and convenient product for the busy holiday season.”

The kits contain ready-to-heat vegetables and unique cooking oils created “to bring out the best of what these veggies have to offer” according to the release.

Other items in the Green Wave Farms are Trimmed Green Beans, Brussels Sprouts, Mixed Squash, Sugar Snap Peas, Butternut Squash, Snow Peas and Celery.

Samples of the new suate kits will be at Misionero’s booth No. 3167 Oct. 18-19 in Anaheim, Calif.

Related stories:

Misionero relaunches salad brand with three new spring mixes

Misionero rebrands fresh-cut Green Wave Farms brand

Misionero marks acquisition anniversary

Behind the 8 ball (squash) on PMG

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:29:09 GMT

The first week of July brought a lot of shuffling of the top 20 produce items on Produce Market Guide, with some summertime specialties joining the ranks of standard favorites.

Watermelon went from No. 16 to No. 1, and cucumbers moved up a spot to No. 2. Specialty crenshaw melons rejoined the list at No. 3, and blueberries rose to No. 4 from No. 12 the previous week . Peaches gained nine spots to complete the top 5.

The PMG platform connects produce buyers and sellers. Below, find the top 20 searched commodities on PMG July 1-7.

Beans slipped a spot to No. 6, while beets moved up to No. 7 from No. 18 the previous week. Okra fell four places to No. 8, and specialty manzano bananas rejoined at No. 9. Lemons moved up two places to round out the top 10.

Cherries fell to No. 11 from No. 7 the previous week, and mangoes fell 10 spots to No. 12. Avocados dropped to No. 13 from No. 6 the week before, and yellow plums came back to the list at No. 14. Blackberries slipped five spots to No. 15.

Mini watermelons joined at No. 16, and lettuce fell four spots to No. 17. Eggplant came back to the list at No. 18, while specialty 8 ball squash appeared at No. 19. Apples fell three spots from the week before, landing at No. 20.

It's red, blue ... green and orange in the PMG top 20

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:29:09 GMT

Although things weren’t all red, white and blue on PMG in the week leading up to the July Fourth holiday, seasonal favorites still stacked the top 20. Specialty melons vaulted into first place, with mangoes rising nine spots from the week before to land at No. 2, bumping cucumbers to No. 3. Okra rose two spots, to No. 4, and beans climbed to No. 5 from No. 8 the previous week.

The PMG platform connects produce buyers and sellers. Below, find the top 20 searched commodities on PMG June 24-30.

Avocados rejoined the list at No. 6, and cherries rose three spots to No. 7. Broccoli came back to the list at No. 8, and peas rose to No. 9 from No. 15 the week before. Blackberries fell to No. 10 from the top slot.

Lemons fell seven spots to No. 11, and blueberries fell to No. 12 from No. 3 the week before. Lettuce jumped to No. 13 from its previous No. 20 rank, while peaches slipped two places to No. 14. Haitian mangoes gained a spot to complete the top 15.

Watermelon fell nine spots to No. 16, and apples came back to the list at No. 17. Beets also rejoined, at No. 18, bumping oranges to No. 19. Sweet potatoes came back to round out the top 20.

Trending on PMG ... loquat?

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:29:29 GMT

For the past couple of weeks a certain specialty has been topping the charts on PMG — namely, loquat ! This slightly fuzzy fruit has taken the No. 1 spot from May 6-19, followed by oranges at No. 2 (up from No. 5 the previous week), mangoes at No. 3 (up from No. 9), watermelon at No. 4 (the same as the previous week) and haitian mangoes at No. 5 (down from No. 2).

The PMG platform connects produce buyers and sellers. Below, find the top 20 searched commodities on PMG May 13-19.

Lemons rose from No. 13 the previous week to land at No. 6, and tomatoes climbed three places to No. 7. Cucumbers rose to No. 8 from No. 15 the previous week, while cherries fell to No. 9 from No. 6. Lettuce fell to No. 10 from No. 3 the week before.

Specialty manzano bananas gained a spot to wind up at No. 11, and peaches rejoined the list at No. 12. Avocados moved up one place to No. 13, and beans also made a comeback, at No. 14. Specialty Chinese cinnabar melon fell two spots to No. 15.

Radishes moved up a place, to No. 16, and navel oranges rejoined at No. 17. Bell peppers also came back, at No. 18, and specialty burro bananas rejoined at No. 19. Carrots fell two spots from the previous week to complete the top 20.

Learn more about loquat and Chinese cinnabar melon on producemarketguide.com . (P.S. Have a photo of Chinese cinnabar melon we could use on PMG? E-mail it to us at news@thepacker.com with the subject line “Chinese cinnabar melon photo.”)

Eggplant, green beans gain popularity

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 18:47:19 GMT

Eggplant and green beans are two items that Nogales, Ariz.-area distributors say are flourishing.

The eggplant market gets especially active in early November, when Canada winds down and California starts phasing out its deal, said Chris Ciruli, partner at Ciruli Bros., Rio Rico, Ariz.
“The eggplant market is off to an incredibly good double-digit start,” he said Nov. 5.

Eggplant and specialty eggplant varieties have been good items for Ciruli Bros. for at least 15 years, he said.
The company does a lot of East Coast business with eggplant.
Movement was picking up through November, and Ciruli expected promotable volume and good prices by early December.

Ciruli Bros. ships regular eggplant and has been selling more specialty varieties every year, he said.

On a recent store check at a mainstream market in northern Colorado, Ciruli said he noticed Hindu eggplant on the produce shelf. “You haven’t seen that in the past,” he said.
“It’s something unique,” Ciruli said. “People are always looking for something popular to promote.”

He said he also saw homegrown Japanese eggplant, which is one of the hardest varieties to grow, in bag packs at a big box store in Hawaii.

That means the store is moving big volume of Japanese eggplant, he said.

Rio Rico-based Fresh Farms has a good following for its eggplant program out of southern Mexico, especially its shade house eggplant,” said salesman Al Voll.

“They do a phenomenal job at farm level,” he said.

Fresh Farms sources the majority of its eggplant from Sinaloa.
Size and quality appears to be good this season, and the market was strong -- $20-22 for a 1 1/9 bushel carton -- in early November, when supplies were light and demand was good.

“Markets have eased off slightly, but with good movement,” Voll said Nov. 10.

He expected supplies to pick up by the first week or so of December, and prices to drop to more reasonable levels.
Fresh Farms will offer eggplant until May.

At Earth Blend LLC in Nogales, eggplant is a good mixer item that fits with the company’s other items, like squash, cucumbers and bell peppers, said Steve Spence, director of sales.

“It’s a pretty popular item,” he said. It’s not a huge seller, but many buyers are including a few boxes with every order.
Earth Blend offers standard eggplant grown in Sinaloa from December until late April or early May.

Green beans are another increasingly popular item shipping from Nogales, and distributors says this year’s crop looks especially nice.

Nogales-based Crown Jewels Produce received its first load of green beans Nov. 9, said Jesus Gonzalez, general manager.

“They look really fancy this year,” he said.

The company has shipped green beans seasonally in the past but plans to ship them year-round from now on.

Earth Blend expects to have consistent supplies of green beans until June, Spence said.

“The fruit looks really, really good,” he said. “There is good color to it.”

Volume typically is heavy during November and December and then falls off but remains steady until the end of the season.

“It’s a pretty big mover for the holidays,” Spence said.
Earth Blend sources green beans from Sonora and Sinaloa.
Mexico’s green bean program will be impacted by Hurricane Pamela that went through Sinaloa in mid-October, Voll said.
“The month of December for most of the bean growers is going to be a little dicey,” he said. “They will scramble to cover all the contracts.”

Voll said he likely will only be able to receive 50% of the green beans he needs to fill his orders in December, but the situation should improve within a few weeks.

“Barring any more weather, they should get back in line by January,” he said.

He said it was too soon to tell what the quality will be like.

What's Your State’s Favorite Thanksgiving Side?

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 05:41:33 GMT

Note this is the opinion and statements of the author and not reflective of Farm Journal Media.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It’s an excuse to unabashedly eat as much as possible. Sides, main, dessert— I don’t care, I want it all.

Analytics company FiveThirtyEight recently surveyed Americans to find out what the most common Thanksgiving side dish is for their region . Of the nearly 1,000 responses six different sides rose to the top: salad, West; green beans/casserole, Midwest; cornbread, South; rolls/biscuits, Great Lakes Region; squash, Northeast; and mac and cheese, Southeast.

Of course, California would call salad a Thanksgiving side—I can tell you my family would be less than thankful if salad took the honored place alongside turkey on Thursday. I live in Missouri where green beans reign king and green bean casserole is a must-have every year. Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to make.

According to USA Today , the original recipe for green bean casserole was created in 1955 by the late Dorcas Reilly. She served as Campbell’s kitchen supervisor where the recipe’s fame skyrocketed it to the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2002. Reilly died Oct. 15, 2018 of Alzheimer’s disease at age 92.

My family joins the millions who will enjoy the side, but admittedly I don’t follow her recipe . I enjoy cooking, so I skip the canned soup and onions and opt for a home-style version.

So, if you’d like to roll up your sleeves and make a mess in the kitchen, here’s the recipe I use. Note, I’ve never thought about it in terms of measurements (I follow the ‘that looks right’ approach) so you might have to play around with some of this to get it perfect for your family.

Green Bean Casserole

For the fried onions:

1 large or 2 medium onions
½ cup flour
¼ to ½ tsp garlic
1-2 tbsp oil
Salt and pepper to taste

For the casserole:

2 cans green beans (drained)
4 tbsp butter
2-3 tbsp flour
1 cup milk or half and half
1 cup chicken stock
¼ to ½ tsp onion salt
¼ to ½ tsp garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
OPTIONAL: sautéed mushrooms and onions
OPTIONAL: add ½ to 1 cup of cheese (because who doesn’t love cheese?!?)

First, make the fried onions. Thinly slice the onions and toss with oil, mix dry ingredients in a separate container and then add the onions (I spray additional cooking oil on top—I think it makes them crispier). Place on a cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep an eye on them, you’re looking for a brown finish. You can also fry them in oil if you prefer.

While the onions are baking start the casserole. Melt butter, then add 2 tablespoons of flour to make a rue. Next add milk, chicken stock and seasonings (if you’re using them, don’t add the sautéed vegetables or cheese yet). Let cook to gravy-like consistency (I had to add flour because I used milk, not half and half). After it hits the right texture add the sautéed vegetables.

Finally, mix the gravy with your green beans and add to a 9X13 pan (add and mix in cheese if using it). By now your onions are probably done, put them on top of the mix and pop it in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

***I like LOTS of gravy, but if you don’t, either add another can of drained beans or trim the gravy recipe. Also, if your family isn’t partial to green beans (I have one of those) it’s good with mixed veggies and peas, too!***

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving. If anyone has a killer homestyle roll recipe send it my way sbegemann@farmjournal.com –or let me know how the green bean casserole worked for you!