When green beans go bad: What the spots can tell you

Spots on green beans can have various causes. Some of them are harmless and result mainly from poor storage of the pods. Others can potentially be dangerous to the human body. It's better to be informed to avoid regrets later!

Green beans are a favourite summer delicacy. Served with breadcrumbs (or in other ways), they are a unique snack, and we have yet to hear of anyone refusing such a dish. Sometimes, however, there is a situation in which we should decide to say no. It's about the spots that sometimes appear on green beans. Where do they come from? How can we prevent them? And most importantly, is eating such pods dangerous? We answer all these questions in the rest of the article.

If you notice spots on green beans, you should know that there are two possible causes for this situation. The first is the so-called thermal stress of the vegetable. Green beans are pretty sensitive to temperature changes and react quickly to them. Pods stored too long in bags (mainly plastic ones) may steam and in an environment below 8℃ — freeze. While the latter process primarily negatively affects the taste of the vegetable, heat can contribute to the faster development of various types of infections.

This brings us to the second possible cause of spots on green beans. From the moment the vegetable experiences thermal stress, it is only one step away from spoiling. Our attention should always be drawn to the suspicious smell of the beans and visible clusters of mould. Remember, the appearance of this fungus makes the vegetable inedible. Cutting off the piece infected with mould won't help!

Mould is just one of the possible diseases that can affect green beans. Spots — especially silvery and brown ones — can be a symptom of the presence of the pea thrips, which not only "settle" on our meal but also leave their excrement there.

Another colour of spots—light brown with a watery or light green outline—is a symptom of halo blight. This means that our vegetable has been attacked by the bacterium Pseudomonas savastanoi. In both cases, the bean pods are not suitable for consumption and should be disposed of immediately!