Every harvest time, we in the south look forward to the bounty of fresh vegetables that come from local gardens.There is really no comparison flavor-wise between garden fresh vegetables and store bought vegetables. This is also a very busy time for many southerners as they are hard at work preserving these vegetables for the winter.
One of my favorite garden vegetables is green beans. I am blessed to have my aunt Kathy and cousin Joy who can green beans. They live on Wolf Creek which is a hollow (a.k.a. holler) in Leslie County, Kentucky. This is located in the southeastern Kentucky mountains. Actually, I should say commonwealth.The area is rich in southern Appalachian culture. On one visit I ended up leaving with about 12 jars of canned green beans. I would like to give a special thanks to my aunt and cousin for this gift. I now live in Savannah, GA. When I eat these, it feels as if I am having a taste of home.
In the south we like to use a few things to give our green beans a delicious flavor. First, we use some type of smokey meat. I chose smoked pork neck bones as they are inexpensive and have a great smokey flavor. You can use bacon, ham, or ham hock if you'd like. We also add some type of fat. I really like bacon drippings in my beans. I was out so I chose to use some lard. I also added some butter. I believe that everything is better with butter! Ha! I don't do margarine though! Finally, we also like to add salt. Of course, everyone has their own taste for salt. I ended up using 2 teaspoons of salt. This can vary by the type of salt that you use and how salty you like your food. I used iodized sea salt.
If you don't have family members who will give you green beans, you can always buy them in the produce section at your favorite grocery. I have actually bought frozen green beans and they turned out great.
I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Ingredients:
2 quart jars of green beans
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup lard or bacon fat
2 tablespoons of butter
1 quart water
1 smoked pork neck bone
Directions:
Pour one quart of drained beans in a large sauce pan. Add the other jar including the canning water. add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Cook on medium high until most of the water has evaporated. Stir occasionally. The beans should cook in about 30 minutes.
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