A few things to remember about green beans:
Purchase green beans that have a smooth feel and a vibrant, green color, and that are free from brown spots or bruises. They should be a firm texture and “snap” when broken.
Because of their rich green color, we don’t always think about green beans as providing us with important amounts of colorful pigments like carotenoids. But they do! Recent studies have confirmed the presence of lutein, beta-carotene, violaxanthin and neoxanthin in green beans.
Store unwashed fresh bean pods in a plastic bag kept in the refrigerator crisper. While beans stored this way should keep for about seven days.
Just prior to using the green beans, wash them under running water. Remove both ends of the beans be either snapping them off or cutting them with a knife.
