Green beans with spots: When to keep, when to discard

The season for green beans is in full swing, and when served with salty breadcrumbs, they are a delicacy for many. But what should you do if you see spots on the beans? Should you throw the vegetable away in such a case?

Green beans, both yellow and green, are among the tastiest seasonal vegetables. You can buy the pods in grocery stores and markets from July until late September. Sometimes, dark spots appear on the beans. What do they mean?

It turns out that the characteristic spots are often the result of improper storage. What should you know about this to protect the pods from spoiling? Are such beans edible, and when should they be discarded?

Unfortunately, green beans are often packed in plastic bags or shopping bags, which speeds up their spoilage. Pods in such packaging steam, lose firmness and mold faster. Even a small amount of mold disqualifies the entire batch of beans from the bag.

Storing beans in the refrigerator, even in an open plastic bag, can lead to so-called chilling injury or thermal stress. This manifests as light or brown spots and indentations on the pods. Beans are sensitive to temperatures below 46°F. Although the pods are safe to eat and the spots may disappear after cooking, their smell and taste may be somewhat altered. If in doubt, it's better to avoid eating them.

It is also worth noting that silvery or brown spots on green beans may indicate the presence of a pest—the pea thrips, which leaves its excrement on the pods. Spots with a watery or light green border are a symptom of halo blight caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas savastanoi. In both cases, green beans are unsuitable for consumption and should be discarded immediately.