A few years ago a friend's parents were on vacation in N.Z., saw these beans growing, and brought back seeds. They gave me some, and this is the third year I've grown them in our vegetable garden. They were given to me as "New Zealand Beans", but I've found of course that they're really Chinese Long Beans a.k.a. "Yard Long" beans, a.k.a. a bunch of other names. They're a staple food in southern China and southeast Asia, there are many different varieties, and the one I'm growing is pink-seeded.
We like these a lot in any kind of Asian stir-fry. They're crunchier than our kind of green beans, and they have a nice nutty flavor. They're big producers in the garden, and even though I only plant a 4' long row of them, we get all we can use and more. They freeze well after blanching, so we've got a supply put away.
Now I'm looking for more ways to use them. I've tried including them in mixed-veggie pickles, but they don't pickle well - they turn hard, chewy, and pretty unpleasant in brine. Mixed with "regular" green beans and boiled in a pot American-style, they're edible but not especially good.
We only eat so much stir-fry, so do you know other good and tasty ways to use these Chinese Long Beans? Thanks.
